Areni: A Dark & Mysterious Grape

Uncork Your Mind

Areni is a grape that is grown in Armenia and for our first episode of Winephabet Street, we got a double A.

Winephabet Street is a monthly series where Lori Budd of Exploring the Wine Glass and I work our way through the alphabet exploring wine and wine regions one letter at a time. The show is live on the third Monday at 8pm and is free, but you must register to attend. Put it on your calendar, pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with us.

Armenia is considered the birthplace of viticulture. It’s a dark and mysterious grape that comes from the village of Areni located in southwest Armenia.

On this episode we were joined by Wines of Armenia’s Stepan Baghdassarian and we tasted 3 different wines that expressed the grape differently and priced from $25-$50

Please watch the webinar or listen to the podcast and hear the excitement in Stephan’s voice and expressions as he talks about the grape and wine region he loves.

Noah of Areni 2017 - Aromas of blackbery, tobacco and violet lead to a palate that is easy drinking. Juicy blackberry, light mouthfeel with dark fruit and hint of black pepper spice on the finish.

Old Bridge Areni Noir Reserve 2014 Estate Bottled - Aromas are dense, very berry with a hint of menthol. The palate has a very nice structure, more tannin structure. Notes of sour cherry and raspberry. This wine spent 24 months in oak.

Voskeni Old Vines 130 Reserve Areni - very complex in both aromas and palate. 130- year-old-vines that are bushes and low yielding. Aromaas of ripe black raspberry, plum, clove and tobacco leads to a palate that is smooth and complex yet elegant. Lots of red and black fruit with mouth watering tannins.