Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
Artages is made by the Yerevan Brandy Company [YBC], that did more than any other to define what Armenian brandy means, first within the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union, and now internationally. It has roughly 140 years of institutional ancestry, exceptionally deep stocks, control over grape procurement and distillation, indigenous grape varieties, a distinctive oak regime, its own cooperage, and a highly developed blending culture.
This brandy is a product of the Armenian wine-and-brandy factory Shaumyan-Vin, in the Ararat Valley. The distillery was established in 1927 and reconstituted in 2002.
Shahumyan-Vin uses five grape varieties for its brandies: Kangun, Rkatsiteli, Azateni, Megrabuyr, and Mskhali. These are grown in the Ararat Valley, and harvesting begins around mid-October. The grapes are hand-picked, sorted/inspected, gently pressed, and fermented in 50 to 200 hectoliter vessels. Continue reading “Boduen Brandy”
Armenia has one of the most interesting brandy traditions outside of France. What makes it unusual is that Armenian brandy was deliberately modeled on Cognac from the beginning—Charentais pot stills, double distillation, long oak aging and blending—but developed a distinctly Armenian character through indigenous grapes, climate, and Caucasian oak.