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Darrel Joseph, American wine journalist, a judge for the Decanter World Wine Awards, on the jury of Central & Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and lecturer, presented 8 wines from Armenia to 40 wine sector professionals in August this year. It was the first Armenian wine masterclass in South Korea.
Gastrovino talked to Darrel Joseph about Armenian wines, the first Armenian wine masterclass and feedback of the participants.
How did you discover the Armenian wines? What was the first Armenian wine that you tried and how can you describe it?
I was first introduced to Armenian wines at ProWein (the wine fair) in Germany a few years ago by Eduard Binder, who was quite involved with teaching in Yerevan - where he would travel to frequently from Germany. We knew each other from wine trips and competitions in Eastern Europe, and he was sure that I would be very interested in getting to know Armenian wines, especially as my wine work had already expanded to Georgia.
How did you decide to introduce the Armenian wines in Asia Wine Conference?
I gave a presentation on Georgia's qvevri wines at the Asia Wine Conference in 2018, and they were received very enthusiastically by the audience participants (most were wine professionals from the trade in Asia, but some were from Europe as well).
So, I thought it would be extremely interesting to show Armenian wines at the conference this year, especially as Armenia - like Georgia - is a country in the Caucasus region and a cradle of wine as we know it today.
Image by: Darrel Joseph’s archive
And being that I had already been to Armenia and was getting to know its wines and its captivating indigenous grape varieties, I was sure that the conference participants would love being introduced to such distinctive wines and tasting them for the very first time!
What wines did you select for the conference and why exactly those?
I have selected these wines:
Malahi (White) 2018 - Maran Winery,
Malahi (Red) 2018 - Maran Winery,
Voskevaz (White Dry) 2018 - Voskevaz Wine Cellar,
Haghtanak (Karasi Collection) 2016 - Voskevaz Wine Cellar,
NOA (White) 2017 - NOA (Noah of Areni) winery,
NOA (Noah of Areni) Winery - NOA Reserve-Limited Edition 2015:
Voskeni (White)2017 - Van Sevan LLC /Voskeni Wines,
Voskeni (Red) 2016 - Van Sevan LLC /Voskeni Wines:
Image by: Darrel Joseph’s archive
All of these wines reflect Armenian indigenous grape varieties. While most are lovely single variety wines, some are cuvée blends that show how Armenian varieties can be beautifully paired with international grapes to make wines that are just as captivating. All of this shows how multi-faceted and distinctive Armenian wines are today. And with such excellent quality, they can appeal to wine lovers everywhere, all around the world.
Image by: Darrel Joseph’s archive
What was the feedback of the participants of the conference on the Armenian wines?
The response was extremely positive! I always ask participants to say what they like or dislike about the wines, what are their opinions and thoughts. And it was really a pleasure to hear so many positive comments: overall, the wines were greatly appreciated for their character, their high quality, their exotic origin, and most of all, because they taste very good!
In your view, what are the specifics of the Armenian wines and how recognized can they be around the world?
This is far too general of a question, as there are so many specifics for just one kind of wine. It is not possible to give a simple answer about the specifics of so many wines, as each wine is distinctive.
The main point is that people must begin to get to know Armenia's wines… become familiar with the grape varieties and get used to the characteristics that might be affiliated with each variety, each wine region and the wine style of each winery.
Image by: Darrel Joseph’s archive
This takes time and effort for the wineries, but most of all, for Armenia's wine organization, which must put forth long-term marketing activities in order to educate the world. This does not happen overnight, especially because this is, for the most part, the beginning phase of modern-day Armenian winemaking, even though it is one of the oldest wine countries in the entire world!
Marie Tarian talked to Darrel Joseph
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