In the eighth century, Armenia was called the “land of vineyards”. The vine proliferated in these regions in the wild for over a million years before being domesticated. More than a decade ago, a series of archaeological "firsts" were discovered in a cliffside cave near the mountain town of Areni. These include the oldest known shoe, the oldest known brain tissue from the Old World, and a 6,100-year-old wine cellar, the oldest ever discovered on earth. In what is now known as Areni Cave, the public can see cylindrical clay vessels (each over a meter in diameter) where wine was produced for burial ceremonies.
Armenia, which was part of the USSR for a long time (1922-1991), was its main commercial outlet. Since the implosion of the communist bloc, it has experienced a revival with declining consumption of "Brandys" and an increase in the consumption of wines and an opening to international markets. Throughout the Soviet period, Armenia was the center of brandy production. Armenian "Cognac" was particularly renowned for its quality and Winston Churchill was an avid consumer. It was the independence of Armenia which was the driving force behind the revival of the wine industry with the return to the country of many Armenians from the diaspora. Armenia's specialization in distillation has favored white grape varieties at the expense of red grape varieties and today there are 12 varieties of white and only 3 varieties of red.
The country is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, however the climate is dry and the majority of vineyards are wedged between the deserts in the south and the great plains in the north. The climate is continental with particularly harsh winters and very hot summers so that quality viticulture takes place at altitude (90% of the country is at an altitude above 1000 meters). This allows the vegetative cycle of the vine to take place in good conditions because the temperature differences are significant.
