Wine tour to Armenia
(4 days / 3 nights)
This exciting journey will start with an evening walk around Yerevan, an ancient city that is 29 years older than the Eternal City of Rome, and will continue with a visit to the beautiful monasteries of Khor Virap at the foot of the biblical Mount Ararat and Noravank, located in a red canyon. You will taste and appreciate the wines of the production of Hin Areni, Old Bridge, Van Ardi, etc.
1 day
Meeting at Zvartnots airport, transfer to the hotel.
In the evening, a tour of Yerevan. Then you will have a wine tasting at the Tapastan wine bar, where you will also be told about the traditions of Armenian winemaking.
Overnight at a hotel in Yerevan
Day 2
Breakfast at the hotel.
After breakfast you will go to the south of Armenia, where Khor Virap is located, with the best view of Mount Ararat. On clear days it seems that the biblical mountain is so close that you can touch it with your hand.
A trip to the wine region of Armenia, to the Arpa River Valley. Here you will visit the wine production “Khin Areni”. After tasting the chilled white wine, you will climb to the plateau, from where you will see a panorama of the entire Areni terroir.
Then follow an ancient trail into a canyon where the medieval monastery of Noravank, one of the most impressive in all of Armenia, is hidden between red rocks. But the main revelation of the day is the Areni-1 cave, where archaeological excavations several years ago uncovered the oldest traces of winemaking on the planet to date. The age of the grape seeds found at the bottom of local amphorae is 6,100 years!
Next, you will reach Yeghegnadzor to meet winemaker Armen Khalatyan, the founder of the Old Bridge winery. On the occasion of your arrival, a large table with dishes prepared according to local recipes will be laid in his guest house. Continue enjoying the wines under the sunset.
Overnight at a hotel in Yerevan.
Day 3
Breakfast at the hotel.
After breakfast, head to Lake Sevan, the pearl of Armenia, with several stops:
The first of them is on the Selim Pass, near a caravanserai, an inn for merchants, built in the 14th century.
Then, descend to Lake Sevan, where you will visit cheese maker Arman, who ages his cheeses in wine, mixes them with herbs and experiments with different types of mold. You will also try the best baklava in Armenia, which is made in the city of Gavar. And, of course, you will taste Sevan fish for lunch.
Next you will go to the real Wine Castle – Voskevaz. You will have a wonderful tour of the old winery, going through all the stages of wine fermentation and tasting wines that received the gold medal MUNDUS VINI, at the exhibition held in Germany.
Return to Yerevan in the evening
Night at the hotel.
Day 4
Breakfast at the hotel.
After breakfast, check out from the hotel.
Next, you will go to the city of Echmiadzin – the religious center of Armenians from all over the world. Visit the Holy See Cathedral and the Treasury of St. Echmiadzin. Then you will go to the Van Ardi Winery. The Van Ardi brand belongs to the Armenian company of the same name, which is a family business of winemaker Varuzhan Muradyan. It is noteworthy that the owner of the company, Varuzhan Muradyan, a financier by education, recently returned to his homeland from the United States to devote himself to winemaking. Van Ardi wine was awarded medals at the Areni Wine Festival, as well as five gold and two silver medals – within the framework of one of the most important international venues – Mundus Vini. On the way back, you will visit the ruins of the Zvartnots Temple (7th century), which in its beauty and grandeur was an unrivaled creation of its time.
Transfer to the airport.
Flight to Moscow.
