Voskevaz Winery
Voskevaz Winery (Armenian: Ոսկեվազի Գինու Գործարան (Voskevazi Ginu Gortsaran)), is one of the oldest enterprises of Armenia for the production of wine. The winery was opened in 1932 in Voskevaz during the Soviet period, to process the grapes of the fertile vineyards in Aragatsotn, at the foothills of Mount Aragats.
| Type | Limited Liability Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Drinks |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder | David Hovhannisyan |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Gago Oganesyan (Architect/Artist/Designer), Armen Oganesyan (Designer), Levon Nurazyan (Executive Director) |
| Products | wine, fruit wine |
| Website | www |
History
The village of "Voskevaz" (which means the golden vine in Armenian), is located on the edge of the picturesque gorge of Kasagh River. The region has an ancient history of wine-making. Many karases (clay potteries) were found in the nearby church of Surp Hovhannes, dating back to the 7th century.[1]
Voskevaz Winery is located in the Armenian village of Voskevaz. The winery was first established in 1932, but the winery's renaissance began in 2004 when David Hovhanissyan, who had run successful businesses in Russia for many years, moved back to Armenia and founded “Voskevaz Wine Cellar, LLC.” [2] At the winery many innovations were put in place, but one very important element would remain the same – the use of 19th century unique karases for the fermentation of wine. The traditional methods for wine fermentation were used on the territory of Armenia from ancient times, the earliest evidence of which are the remains of one of the oldest wineries in the world (about 6,100 years old), found in the caves of Areni, as well as the partially preserved karas wine cellar in the ruins of the Urartian fortress, Teishebaini. Today, all of the Voskevaz wines reflect the true nature of Armenia. The wines are produced only from local grape varieties while high-quality Armenian oak barrels are used for wine aging. Voskevaz Winery has also pioneered the use of the grape withering technology in the production of sweet wines in Armenia.[3]
Products and brands
The wines of the Voskevaz Winery are produced from local grape varieties of Aragatsotn region, with the use of the famous Caucasian oak-barrels mainly from Artakh, Ijevan, and Dilijan for the purpose of wine aging.[4]
The winery produces a variety of red and white, dry, semisweet, liqueur and vintage wines. The brands of the Voskevaz Winery include: Vanakan (from Kakheti and Areni grapes), Voskevaz, Voskepar, Urzana, Nuraz, Katariné, Rozali (from Muscat grapes), Voskehat, Voskevaz Areni Noir and Chateau Voskevaz vintage and Muscat wine limited editions. The winery also produces red semisweet pomegranate wine.