VINEYARD
The project is working with the vineyards of the highest mountainous terroir of Europe. Khachik village in Vayots Dzor is situated on the altitude of 1900 m above the sea level. The vineyards are located a little bit lower, 1750-1850 m on the natural south and south-east facing slope. The total area of vineyards in Khachik village is about 70 ha. The climate is continental, with frosty winters and cold autumns. The soil structure is variable — limestone predominates, including loam and volcanic pots. The main variety in these vineyards is Areni Noir. The average age of the vines is more than 40 years old. The yields are very low. During a good year the total yield from Khachik is less than 200 tons of grapes. The region stands out for its high level of acidity of grapes, due to cold climate and dramatic differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures.
WINERY
Now the project occupies a part of Semina Consulting winery in Yerevan, where the required equipments are situated. The next step is going to be the transfer of the equipments to Vayots Dzor, Khachik village. The plan of the modern winery with the ability to process 100 tons of grapes per season and the cellar for wine aging in the set is ready. The prospects of the project is to produce up to 100 000 bottles of classic method sparkling wine per year.
TEAM
The project is developing due to the efforts of two Armenian winemaking enthusiasts. Vahe Keushgerian is an expert in wine business who has a wide experience in other projects in Italy, in 1997 returned to Armenia for national winemaking development. The oenology of the project is supervised by Armen Manukian — a talented winemaker andampelograph, who practiced in one of the Bordeaux regions. The project consultant is an oenologist from Champagne Jerome Barrier. The main goal of the project is to save and develop the indigenous grape varieties.
