The place: Ashtarak, the Kasagh gorge and the villages under Aragats#
Aragatsotn is the wine region I use to show guests that Armenia is not one climate. It lies north-west of Yerevan on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Aragats, Armenia’s highest at 4,090 metres, and the province tilts from the Ararat plain to alpine meadow in about 40 kilometres of road. The vines occupy the lower third of that tilt.
The capital is Ashtarak, 24 kilometres from Yerevan, on the Kasagh river. The Kasagh has cut a gorge through the lava, and two monasteries sit on its rim, Saghmosavank (1215) and Hovhannavank (1216 to 1221). Higher up is Amberd, a fortress and church at around 2,300 metres, open roughly June to October when the snow has gone. Oshakan, with the tomb of Mesrop Mashtots, who gave Armenians their alphabet, is on the same road.
The wine villages are lower and quieter: Voskevaz, “golden bunch”, near Ashtarak; Sasunik, home to two very different estates; Nor Yedesia, with ArmAs; and Aghavnatun, down on the boundary with Armavir, where the slope flattens into the plain. From all of them, on a clear morning, Ararat is in front.
Aragatsotn is also the homeland of Voskehat, Armenia’s flagship white grape. That alone earns it a day on my Armenia tour and a stop on the Armenia and Georgia route.
Terroir: volcanic soils between 950 and 1,400 metres#
Aragats is a dormant volcano, and everything below it is what the volcano left. The vineyards stand on basalt, tuff and andesite over old lava flows: stony, free-draining, warm to the touch by mid-morning. Near the Kasagh there is softer alluvium; elsewhere the roots have to work.
Altitude runs from about 950 to 1,400 metres; Van Ardi at Sasunik sits at 1,050 metres, a midpoint. That is lower than most of Vayots Dzor, where Areni Noir grows at 1,000 to 1,800 metres, but well above the Ararat plain in Armavir, where estates such as Karas Wines farm at 900 to 1,100 metres.
The climate is continental: cold winters, dry summers, a large swing between day and night. Aragatsotn is slightly cooler and slightly wetter than the plain, but “slightly wetter” in Armenia still means irrigation. Voskehat comes in from mid to late September, later than on the plain. Spring frost is the risk at the higher sites.
I am careful with claims about tasting the soil. Side by side, Aragatsotn Voskehat tends to be firmer and drier than plain-grown Voskehat, and the reds carry a stony edge I like with food. Whether that is basalt or cool nights, I leave to the agronomists.
Grapes and styles: Voskehat, Kangun, Areni and the Soviet crossings#
Voskehat means “golden berry”. It is an old native white, also called Kharji, and its home is here. Textured rather than aromatic: quince, yellow apple, a little honey, dried herbs, moderate acidity. In karas it gains weight and a faint earthy note; a few days on skins turn it amber and give it grip. As traditional-method sparkling it shows citrus, white flowers and a chalky texture, which is why Keush builds its Origins Brut on it, with Khatouni, from Vayots Dzor fruit.
Kangun is the second white and the most misunderstood. A Soviet-era crossing involving Rkatsiteli and Sukholimansky Bely, bred for brandy, it is now made as a fresh citrus-and-apple still white and as a sparkling base. I pour it before Voskehat, so the two can be compared without Voskehat winning by weight.
Areni grows here too, and an Aragatsotn Areni next to one from Vayots Dzor is a useful lesson: usually rounder, less pepper, earlier to drink. Haghtanak, “victory”, from 40 Let Oktyabrya and Saperavi, gives deep colour and dark fruit and takes oak without complaint. Kakhet is the old red of the plain and these slopes; Karmrahyut, “red juice”, a teinturier for colour; Garan Dmak, “fat tail”, a white for blending. A little Syrah and Chardonnay has arrived too.
The styles you will meet: still Voskehat in steel or old oak; karas Voskehat; Kangun and Voskehat sparkling; red blends on Haghtanak, Areni and Kakhet; and brandy, distilled at ArmAs. On the clay, read my note on qvevri, karas and amphora; on the red grape, Areni Noir.
Producers to know: Voskevaz, Van Ardi, ArmAs#
Voskevaz Winery, Voskevaz. Founded in 1932 as a Soviet state winery, family-run since 1997 by Davit Hovhannisyan and his brothers, and now his children. The estate holds what is described as Armenia’s largest collection of working karas, and the historic karas hall is still in use: the Karasi Collection wines, Voskehat, Areni Noir and Haghtanak, are fermented in clay and matured in oak. Museum, restaurant, five-wine tastings. More in my story on Voskevaz and the karas revival.
Van Ardi, Sasunik. Varuzhan Mouradian returned from the United States in 2008 to plant vines at 1,050 metres at the foot of Aragats, with more planted in 2013. Areni, Kakhet, Kangun, Haghtanak and some Syrah; stainless steel, French and Italian oak. Tastings, tastings with a three-course meal, vineyard and cellar walks. Its Areni shows what the grape does on these lower slopes.
ArmAs Estate, Nor Yedesia. Founded in 2007 by Armenak Aslanian, who came from California: a 180-hectare estate with 110 hectares of native vines (Kangun, Voskehat, Areni, Karmrahyut), a hotel, a distillery and a tasting room. The modern, classical face of the region.
Armenia Wine Company, Sasunik. Vineyards from 2006, winery from 2008, among the largest producers in Armenia, with the Takar label for native grapes. In the same village as Van Ardi, it shows how differently two neighbours can read one slope.
What a day in Aragatsotn looks like on tour#
We leave Yerevan around 09:00. Within half an hour we are at the Kasagh gorge, standing at Saghmosavank with the drop below us and, if the sky is clear, Ararat to the south. Coffee, a walk along the rim. Amberd, if the road is open, but I ration it: the fortress eats two hours and the karas do not wait.
Late morning at Voskevaz: the karas hall, the cellar and museum, then a tasting from Kangun through the Karasi Collection. We eat there: lavash from the tonir, herbs, cheeses, tolma, and khorovats if the grill is lit. I ask for the Karasi Voskehat with the herb plate and the Areni with the meat.
Afternoon in Sasunik at Van Ardi: the rows, the cellar, and a tasting on the terrace with the light going gold on the volcano. Where time allows, ArmAs on the way back for a glass of brandy. Back in Yerevan by 19:00.
On the seven-day Armenia tour I give Aragatsotn a full day; it teaches the whites before the valley teaches the red. On the Armenia and Georgia route it is a shorter stop before the road north. It also works as a private day from Yerevan.
Practical: distances from Yerevan and the best months#
Aragatsotn is a day trip, not a base. From Yerevan: Ashtarak 24 kilometres, about 30 minutes; Sasunik about 40 minutes; Voskevaz 35 kilometres, 40 to 50 minutes; Nor Yedesia about 50 minutes. We use a minibus with a driver; I taste alongside you, so a driver is not optional.
Best months are May to June and September to October. In May and June the slopes are green, apricots ripen, and Yerevan Wine Days fill Saryan Street on the first weekend of June. In September the Voskehat comes in; October gives the clearest air and the best chance of Ararat. July and August reach 35 to 40 °C on the plain; the slopes are kinder, but we start early. Winter closes Amberd and some higher roads.
Read the Armenia country guide for the wider picture, and the Vayots Dzor guide for where we go next.
