Armenian Sparkling Wine Production Rises 8.4%

Armenia might not be the first place you think of when it comes to sparkling wine, but you may be surprised by this country’s long winemaking history which continues to this day.

According to ArmenPress, Armenia produced almost over 6 million litres of wine in 2016, of which 713 thousand litres were sparkling – an 8.4% rise in sparkling production.

Thanks to the country’s great terroir, history of grape-growing and native varieties, Armenian winemakers can create fantastic wines. Most wines are grown on the fertile soils of the South Caucasus.

In fact, Armenia has one of the oldest wine-producing histories in the world.

Since ancient times, Armenia has been renowned for its winemaking. During 1960-1986 production of sparkling wine increased by 10 times as during Soviet times, before Armenia became independent in 1991, mass grapes were planted for making Armenian brandy.

In 2011 Archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest-known wine production facility in the Areni cave complex. The facility dates back to around 4000 BC, 900 years before the earliest comparable wine remains were found in Egypt.