Zorik Gharibian, the founder of Zorah Wines, is a man with a big dream – to put Armenian wines back on the global map after years of neglect. Hearing him speak, you believe he’ll do it. Despite having grown up in Italy (his family fled Armenia in 1915), he is is proudly Armenian, and passionate about the ancient traditions of wine-making from this stunningly beautiful, mountainous country.People have been making wine here for an estimated 6000 years. In 2007, archaeologists discovered the Aremi cave that has been dated to 4000 BC, and included clay amphorae with traces of wine and grape pips in them, thought to have been used as part of a religious ritual.
Under the Soviets, wine-making in Armenia all but died out. It was declared a brandy-producing country, while its neighbour Georgia was allowed to continue producing wine. The ancient traditions of amphora-making stopped, and in one generation a 6000-year-old tradition was lost.
That could all change if Zorik’s wife, Yeraz Tovmasyan, has her way. Yeraz, a ceramicist, has as much drive and determination as her husband – together they are a force to be reckoned with. Years is working to revive the tradition of making amphorae, bringing together teams of people across the country to experiment with clays and use science to create the perfect condition for wine. She said there are people she works with who remember their parents creating amphora, but nothing was written down, and so much of the art has been lost.
Meanwhile, Zorik and his team scour the country to buy old amphora that people have lying around their houses – many of them more than 100 years old. They can tell by running their hands over the clay whether it will be suitable. It’s cleaned up with soda water, and is ready for the wine before it is three-quarters buried in stones. After that, says Zorik, you can’t do anything to change the direction the wine will take – it’s up to the grapes and the amphorae.
This ageing process doesn’t allow for any imperfections in the wine. The vanilla you get from ageing in oak can conceal (minor) problems, but clay amphorae bring out everything in the wine – good and bad. You can taste the terroir.
It’s a risky business. But hearing the passion from Zorik and Yeraz, it’s a risk worth taking.
The Armenian wines we tasted
We tried four wines from Zorah at a tasting at Streatham Wine House, all from Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor in Armenia. Wines supplied by Liberty Wines.
Zorah ‘Voski’, 2015, grapes: Garandmak, Voskeat – £31, Liberty Wines
Zorah Karasi, 2015, grape: Areni Noir – £30
Zorah Karasi 2014, grape: Areni Noir – £28
Zorah ‘Yeraz’ 2013, grape: Areni Noir.
