X

Get FREE Email Updates

Sign Up

Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Guides
  • Journals
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Links
  • Interviews
  • About

above the clouds

International Travel and Lifestyle Blog


Visiting the World’s Oldest Winery in Armenia

August 14, 2016 by Dave6 Comments

areni-1-winery-cave-armenia (5) areni-1-winery-cave-armenia (1)Arguably the highlight today was visiting the world’s oldest known winery – located about an hour and 10 minutes drive from Yerevan (based on the way our driver took to the roads aggressively – probably much slower if driven normally!). This site was ‘discovered’ in 2007 and was excavated by Armenian, Irish and American archaeologists until about 2011. What they discovered was astounding. A sizable working winery that dates back 6,100 years! This is at least 1,000 years older then the 2nd oldest winery on the planet – located in the West Bank.

Items include a press (people used their feet), the juice would then drain off into vats which were filled to then ferment. A number of these vats can still be seen including separate vats for wine storage.

Archaeologists also found pressed grapes, prunes, walnuts, and old vines along with drinking cups. I’m sure just as equal a thrill was the discovery of an almost perfectly preserved leather shoe (currently the oldest piece of leather footwear known on the planet). This was dated back to about 5,500 years old. When found, the shoe was filled with straw. This and the other items found in the cave were preserved so well due to the dry environment and dark cave environment – and the fact everything was covered with sheep dung (which acted as a preservative). The shoe is now on display in the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.

areni-1-winery-cave-armenia (2)Walking in this cave is like walking back in time – because it was such a recent archaeological discovery it all looks like a fresh excavation. And the remains are still under the roped grid system from the dig. The preservation of some of the vats is impressive – some are extremely thin – some are only partially excavated and you stand on soil that covers the remainder.

And once we left the cave we stopped by for some modern day wine making at the Areni Wine Factory where their focus is on a number of products including wine made from the local Areni grape, fruit wine and various brandies. It was quite interesting to try both apricot and pomegranate wine – both wines as expected really showed the distinctive flavors of each of these respective fruits.


Related posts:

Tedeschi Winery, Verona Italy Driving through Tuscany & Antinori Winery Visit Francis Ford Coppola Winery Harlan Estate, 600th Napa Winery Visited & Reviewed!! Mad Scientists at Raymond Winery

Filed Under: Asia · Tagged: Art, Caves, Drinking, History, Museum, Vineyards, Walking tour, Wine Tasting

Comments

  1. Gaz says

    September 18, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Great information on wine’s history and start in Armenia!

  2. Dave says

    November 28, 2016 at 12:03 am

    Thanks Ric!

  3. Jaco says

    December 28, 2018 at 6:37 am

    Fantastic article Dave! What an amazing experience it must have been to explore the oldest winery in the world.

  4. Dave says

    December 28, 2018 at 10:43 am

    Thanks Jaco – this was definitely one of my most memorable International wine highlights 🙂

  5. Tsotne says

    July 25, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    It’s all lie. The oldest country of wine is Georgia. If you want to know.

  6. Dave says

    July 26, 2019 at 4:30 am

    No its not all a lie. The oldest winery is in Armenia – and evidence of winemaking in China even predates both Armenia, Georgia and Iran.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want an avatar to show with your comments? Get a free Gravatar

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow @DaveDTC

Get FREE Email Updates  I

Categories

Member, Professional Organizations

International Travel Writers Alliance
Travel Massive

Recent Comments

  • Barry Burbidge on Colima, Mexico – Festivals
  • Robert L. Evans on The Taste At Koi Garden Cafe
  • Camille Winslow on San Luis Obispo, CA – More Info
  • Ayon on How to find escorts in London
  • Dave on Reaching Paradise, EMBRACE Resort Staniel Cay Bahamas

Latest Posts

  • Tel Aviv – The City That Boasts the Best of …
  • Best Places to Visit in Bangladesh
  • Dig Into Comstock Caviar at Virginia City’s 32nd A…
  • Helsinki’s growing reputation as a world-class foo…
  • Reviewing International Travel Statistics of 2022

Explore

  • Above the Clouds
  • Guides
  • Highlight of the Month
  • Interviews
  • Journals
  • Press Releases
  • Videos

Prepare

  • Book Reviews
  • Pack List
  • Quiz: Geography
  • Quiz: Travel
  • Tour Booking
  • Travel Insurance
  • Travel Products

Share

  • Contribute
  • Forums
  • Links
  • Photos

About

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Contributors
  • Email Dave
  • Media Coverage
  • Media Kit
Hi I'm Dave. After a life changing trip in 1996, I began this site as a creative outlet to educate, inspire and share travel experiences. Read more...
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Return to top of page
Copyright © 1996–2023 Dave's Travel Corner · All Rights Reserved · Log in

7ads6x98y