CNN has listed Armenia’s Vayots Dzor region as a one of ‘15 Wine Trails Worth Getting Sidetracked On.’
Here’s how CNN describes the region in Armenia believed to be the place where the first wine was produced.
“According to the Bible, Armenia was the first wine-producing region in the world, since it was on the slopes of Mount Ararat that Noah planted the first vine after the flood.
Archaeologists agree — at least on the long tradition: a 6,100-year-old winery was discovered not long ago.
The local Areni variety has been unchanged for centuries, being highly resistant against disease with a thick skin that helps shield it from cold extremes.
The easiest wine-growing region to get to from the capital, Yerevan, is Vayots Dzor, where a microclimate ensures 300 sunny days a year.
Most organized tours zoom in on the Areni Noir, an incomparable red that put Armenia on the map when it was launched internationally in 2012.”
In 2011, archeologists announced the discovery of the earliest known winery dating back 6,000 years in Areni, in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia.
A vat to press the grapes, fermentation jars and even a cup and drinking bowl dating to about 6,000 years ago were discovered in the cave complex by an international team of researchers.
The other 14 routes on CNN’s ranking include Hunter Valley (Australia), Napa and Sonoma (California), Alentejo (Portugal), Cape Winelands (South Africa), Route des Vins (Alsace, France), Santorini (Greece), Maipo (Chile), Okanagan (Canada), Tuscany (Italy), Bento Goncalves (Brazil), Mendoza (Argentina), Rioja (Spain), Moselle Valley (Germany), Bordeaux (France).
