Armenia’s “Alluria” Red Wine: Produced in Etchmiadzin, but Named After a River in Van

Armenia’s “Alluria” Red Wine: Produced in Etchmiadzin, but Named After a River in Van
Tatev Khachatryan

photos:

Narek Aleksanyan

Alluria red wine is prepared in Etchmiadzin, where the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church is located.

Producers claim it’s the only commercial Armenian wine that is made without yeast and sulfites.

"We do absolutely wild fermentation. The grapes come from the vineyard to the winery, and we thoroughly examine them. We let the wild yeasts do their job. We take the risk, because our goal is traditional winemaking, the way our grandfathers taught us, " he says.

The Machanyan family has been making wine for several decades. Samvel’s forefathers had extensive vineyards in Van. He says wine production is an integral part of the family.

"As a child, I thought winemaking was as natural as making an omelet in the morning,” Samvel says with a smile.

Initially, winemaking was just a hobby for Samvel. Starting from 2007-2008, he and his brothers started making wine, but it was only for family and friends.

The idea of ​​selling wine came in 2013 when Samvel went to a familiar sommelier, asking him to try the wine and express his opinion. The professional told him the wine had great potential.

It took some time to do the branding, bottling, buying devices, and on December 15, 2016, the first bottles of Alluria red dry wine were sold.

The name was chosen in honor of the Alluria River next to their forefathers’ village in Van. Now, the river is called Karasu (black water in Turkish).

The brothers do the entire process of producing wine, except for harvesting.

During the nine months of commercial operation, around 4,500-5,000 bottles of wine were produced for sale, but next year they plan to expand their vineyards and produce around 10,000 bottles.

The wine is not sold in ordinary shops. It can only be found in specialty stores, as well as in wine bars and restaurants.

A small production volume is the first reason. Most importantly, they want their wine to stay unique.

"We want this wine to be consumed by wine lovers,” says Samvel." My heart bleeds when I see our wine left in the glass. It’s horrible when someone doesn’t respect all the work you’ve put into producing one gram of wine," Samvel says.

Hardy grapes make the best wine

Logo՝M(achanyan) W(ine)

Samvel believes that the best grapes for making wine are those that have struggled with the soil to survive

"If you are plan...