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Online magazine “Origins” covering topics on Armenian wine and cuisine will not only increase Armenia’s visibility across the horizon of gastro-economic tourism, but also introduce the competitive and high quality Armenian wine to the world.
The magazine has been established with the support of the EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia” project (ITTD) and the Private Sector Development and Technical Vocational Education and Training in South Caucasus (PSD TVET) Programme.
The EU4Business ITTD project is co-funded by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The EU4Business ITTD and PSD TVET Programme are implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
The inauguration of “Origin” magazine was also attended by EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin.
“I am exceedingly impressed by the diversity and quality of Armenian wines,” noted the EU Ambassador, underscoring the high progress made in the sector over the last few years.
Andrea Wiktorin | Image by: Mediamax
“During 2007-2009, when I was in Armenia as an Ambassador of Germany to Armenia, local wine production still had a long way to grow. There was this marvelous Armenian white wine about which I always tell this story. After the first bottle you would think: “what a pleasant, crisp white wine this is”. As you opened the second bottle, you would say: “what a curious taste”. By the time you got to the third bottle, it tasted like a vinegar. Back then I was thinking that Armenians used to have ages-long wine making traditions, but perhaps they had forgotten some of those. While now I am truly impressed by the diversity and quality the Armenian wines offer.”
Andrea Wiktorin | Image by: Mediamax
Ambassador went on saying that Armenian wines couldn’t but become more recognised, attracting foreigners to the country, since Armenia is a wonderful wine tourism destination.
Image by: Mediamax
“It’s a great idea to put on foot such a magazine that tells not only about wine making, but also features Armenian traditions and its cuisine. I am very much hopeful that it will be interesting to many, helping further develop tourism industry. In this context, the year 2019 had quite a number of positive impetuses, as you were featured in a number of international magazines as a riveting tourism destination, but unfortunately the pandemic started, which was followed by the war. It is my firm belief that you are going to see a comeback this year,” stated the EU Ambassador.
Madeleine Rauschenberger, Country Director of the GIZ Country Office in Armenia, emphasised that unlike the EU Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, she's been in Armenia only for a year yet she could already confirm that Armenian wine had an excellent quality:
Madeleine Rauschenberger | Image by: Mediamax
“It’s a fascinating experience for me to be here and see what this country has to offer in gastro and wine making industry. We have always exerted efforts to support local economic development in Armenia, where wine making plays a crucial role. Looking at the numbers, I can say that we eye-witness a significant growth not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality of the products. Joined by our partners – Tourism Committee of the RA Ministry of Economy, Wine and Vine Foundation, we syndicate our efforts to support Armenia as it positions itself not only as a country with magnificent culture and wine making traditions, but also as a globally competitive and high quality wine producing country.”
Image by: Mediamax
Madeleine Rauschenberger further pinpointed the fact that in this sense, Armenia’s attraction as a destination for wine buffs was growing far and wide, and the development of wine making industry, in its turn, was backing the development of Armenian regions.
Image by: Mediamax
“Our project supports the online magazine “Origins”, which portrays stories about the culture, wine, dishes and traditions of this beautiful country. I am confident that it will help upsurge the visibility of Armenia, and I personally promise to be one of your regular readers.”
“We came up with the idea of creating this magazine “Origins” to recount the stories on the Armenian food and wine never told before,” said the founder of the magazine Aimee Keushguerian.
Aimee Keushguerian | Image by: Mediamax
She added that winemaking was a fast growing industry in Armenia: while in 2015 there were only 38 registered brands in Armenia, today this number sky-rocketed to as high as 110.
Image by: Mediamax
“The content of the magazine is crafted by a number of talented authors, translators and photographers. We plan to feature essays, local news covering this sector and publish around 2 to 3 posts on weekly basis. There will also be an online shop, and last but not the least, we will be publishing recipes from the local cuisine,” explains the founder of the “Origins”.
Yana Shakhramanyan
Photos: Emin Aristakesyan
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