World’s Oldest Winery! | Areni Wine Region | Momik Wines | Noravank Monestary

Today we are leaving the capital city of Yerevan and heading out to see some of the beautiful country of Armenia. We will first stop at Areni 1 cave which is the oldest known winery in the world, then a quick stop at Norovank monastery to climb the steep foreboding steps of the ancient church, then we will make our last stop at Momik Winery in the famous Areni wine region for a beautiful private tasting at a family owned vineyard.
First thing’s first, I dont like to discuss politics but we need a bit of background information. Armenia and their neighboring countries have what some would call a troubled past and present in some cases too. Particularly Azerbaijan and Armenia have a drastic dislike for one another because of recent and past conflicts. The years 1918 to 1921, 1988 to 1994, and many clashes between 2008 to 2016 where they agreed again on a cease fire. In 2020 another major clash began and thousands were killed including many civilians. These clashes have continued up until April 2022 even after many other countries like Russia have gotten involved to try to deescalate the tensions. We always hope for peace and that one day both countries can put an end to the conflicts. If you would like to learn more about these conflicts please search some reliable sources for information.
Links:
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This amazing cave is nestled in a small settlement near the popular wine region of Armenia. The area is home to many bats and swallows who build their nests in the cave. The archeologists only began extensively exploring the cave in the last 15 years and in 2008 found the oldest shoe, in 2011 the oldest winery was uncovered, and many other artifacts such as a straw skirt and a human brain dating back to around 4300 BC. There were also 3 individuals found in the cave dating back to around 6250 BC and one after studying their genome was found to have red hair and blue eyes.
This place was exceptionally old. I was really amazed by it because the oldest archeological site I was able to visit was Akriotiri in Santorini Greece. This place predates it by about 3 or 4 thousand years at least.
Our next stop was Norovank Monestary which dates back to the 13th century. This entire complex holds many buildings including 3 churches, a museum, and ruins of some civil buildings. The church was a burial site for the Orbelian family and holds many of the more famous princes and princesses of this family. The unique architectural design of the main church is often a reason many visit this sacred place and climb its intimidating steps for a magnificent view of the mountains and gorge below. All of the beautiful carvings and symbolism make it a place that is a must see when visiting this region of Armenia.
Momik wines is a beautiful family owned vineyard nestled into beautiful valley in the Areni wine region of Armenia. The wine produced in Areni is known to be the best in the entire cacacious region. Areni is also famously known to be the home of the dark skinned Areni noir grape. This winery has been in the family for over 40 years and specializes in creating wines using the local varietals of grapes. Their wine is either aged in traditional clay vessels, called Karases, or inside of wooden barrels. The name Momik comes from the famous painter and sculptor who helped create the Norovank monastery we just visited. We truly enjoyed having their amazing award winning wine and getting to know more about their amazing family and history.
We ended our day with a relaxing dinner at our air bnb and completed the beautiful tradition of Maria’s baptism. On the third day after anointing the child with oils they will bathe her. The godparents returned and we had a wonderful time eating and having great conversations with our new friends.
Thank you so much for joining us again on another adventure in armenia.
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