In episode 8 of Armenia by the glass podcast, I talk with Caroline Gilby MW. Caroline is a wine writer specialising in Central and Eastern Europe. She is the author of The Wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova and contributes to Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine. She holds a doctorate in plant biology, and in 2021 she wrote an essay about Zorah winery's old vines in Armenia for the Janis Robinson Writing Competition (see link below). Caroline has also written about Armenia for Decanter.com.  

 We chat about how Alberto Antonini introduced her to Zorah wines, her experience in Armenia, running the half marathon known as the Vineyard Trail in the mountains of the Vayots Dzor Region and her climb up Mount Ararat. We also talk about Armenia's progress with its winemaking over the last ten years and how it can push to the next level.    

 https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/wwc21-zorah-armenia 

 I hope you enjoy this episode.  

 Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.

Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com  

In episode 7 of Armenia by the glass podcast, I talk with Artem Parseghyan, chief winemaker of Trinity Canyon Vineyards and Founder of Hazarvaz. Artem studied biology at Yerevan State University as an undergraduate but soon realised he was interested in winemaking. In 2011, he embarked on a two year Masters programme in Winemaking, Viticulture and Wine Business, which took him to France, Germany and Portugal. 

We talk about a whole range of topics, such as his current role as a winemaker, his own vineyard, which consists of 150-year-old vines, and the uniqueness of Aghavnadzor village in the Vayots Dzor region. Artem has just launched his first vintage from his vineyard under the label Hazarvaz, available at several outlets in Armenia. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. 

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.  
Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com 

Here is an outline of the episode: 

1.46    Introduction, education, journey into wine.  
5.14    About Aghavnadzor village. 
8.40    Winemaking education in Armenia. Establishment of EVN Academy. 
11.07  Internship in Portugal. Similarities between Armenian and Portuguese winemaking. 
14.37  Role as chief winemaker at Trinity Canyon Vineyards. 
16.14  Trinity Canyon Vineyards as an “experimental” winery. 
20.10  Using blends to introduce indigenous grapes.  
22.40  Hazarvaz wine, Artem’s vineyard in Aghavnadzor. 
31.57  Why Artem’s vineyard is called “Bitten by the snake.”  
33.50  Survival of 150-year-old vines.  
35.25  Future of Armenia and its wines. 

SEASON 2 of Armenia by the glass podcast kicks off with  Karen Tsharakyan, owner and founder of Stork Wines.  Karen was my guest in June 2021 for episode 2, when he spoke about his journey, from purchasing his first vineyard in the village of Taperakan in Ararat Province, managing a challenging harvest in 2020, to bottling his vintage that year.  In this episode 6, you’ll hear how far he has come on his journey. Not only has he bottled his wine but it is now available in over 20 outlets in Armenia and in the UK.  He has also built his own winery where he hopes to produce his 2022 vintage.  

I hope you enjoy this episode.  

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.  
  
Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com  

In episode 5, I speak with Varuzhan Mouradian of Van Ardi Winery. Varuzhan  Mouradian was born in Armenia and moved to California with his wife in the 1990s.  He became a CPA and established an accounting firm.  He developed a passion for wine and when he decided to enter the wine business, his vision looked towards his homeland, Armenia.   After a number of years of planning, Varuzhan and his family moved to Armenia. Van Ardi is now an established winery, with award-winning wines.  Their wines are available in the UK, including their latest range, Tori Tori.  

 Varuzhan has created a winery not only for his family but for future generations. 
 
I hope you enjoy this episode. 

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.
 
Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com 

My guest for episode 4 of Armenia by the glass podcast is Frunz Harutyunyan, the head winemaker of his family’s winery, Maran, in Armenia. Maran winery produces wines under the labels, Noravank, Malahi, Bagratuni and Zarm. 

Frunz comes from a winemaking family dating back to 1828. He obtained his PhD in winemaking from the National Agrarian University of Armenia and trained in France with some of the most prestigious wineries, such as Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux.   

Frunz and his family are involved in several incredibly adventurous projects: a high-altitude vineyard in the village of Artabuynk, Vayots Dzor region, at an altitude of 2050-2070 m above sea level, the reclaiming and bringing back to life of an ancestral vineyard located on the slopes of the gorge of Artabuynk village, and ageing wine – known as Halde - at the bottom of lake Qari on Aragats Mountain, 3185 m above sea level. 

Frunz and his family are also involved with fundraising for the latest Karmir Blur project. Details for contributing to this project can be found by following the link below.
 
 I hope you enjoy this episode.

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.
 
 Find out more at https://linktr.ee/armeniabytheglass

In episode 3, I speak with Hagop Kazanjian of Galar Vines. Hagop is a Syrian-Armenian who moved to Armenia in 2006. He graduated from Yerevan State University with a degree in oriental studies but pursued a career in IT and web programming. His wine journey began in 2019 when he started a three-month intensive winemaking course. Soon afterwards, he launched his first wine, Galar, made of Haghtanak grape, available to drink in Armenia today. His next step is to start developing his vineyard in Voskehat, Armenia.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.

Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com

In this episode 2, I speak with Karen Tsharakyan, owner and founder of Stork Wines.  Karen talks about his journey into the world of wines straight from his vineyards in Taperakan, Armenia.

I hope you enjoy this episode. 

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.  

 Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com

For the launch of Armenia by the glass podcast, I talk with Zara Serobyan, owner and founder of GInVino – Best Wines Off the Beaten Path.  Zara was born in Armenia but at the age of 18 she went to the US to study economics. After a brief return to Armenia, she moved to London in 2004 and spent more than 10 years working in corporate finance.  It wasn’t until a sabbatical in Argentina when she started to discover the world of wines. 

I hope you enjoy this episode.

This podcast was recorded on 16th June 2021.

Armenia by the glass podcast is hosted by Elaine Kassabian.  

 Find out more at www.armeniabytheglass.com