Armenian cognacs are returning

Ancient legends say that Armenia is the birthplace of winemaking. According to one of them, after a worldwide flood Noah settled at the foot of Ararat, on the slopes of which he planted grapes, grew and subsequently received juice from it. The legend remains a beautiful legend, and cultivation of this culture in Armenia has already been three and a half millennia.

The history of creating Armenian cognacs is much shorter, but no less interesting. The opening of the first plant for the production of this noble drink is connected with the name of local merchant Narses Tayrian. It was he who first decided to produce it in Armenia using French technology and called Fin-Champagne. In 1889, Tairayan sold the plant to Shustov, Russian industrialists. And already they have widely developed production. By 1914, 15 such plants had been built in the country. "Shustovsky" drink became popular not only in Russia, it could also be bought abroad. Armenian cognacs repeatedly won prizes at various exhibitions.

Becoming

After all the revolutionary upheavals and the establishment of Soviet power in the Transcaucasus, brandy production continued. Only the owner of the factories was now a state. Armenian cognacs became even more popular, they were exported to many countries of the world. The quality of the drink was the highest. This is evidenced by the fact that Winston Churchill was a great admirer of Armenian cognac, and he knew how to deal with elite alcoholic beverages.

French rescuers

In the first years of independence, despite the difficulties, cognac production in Armenia was not stopped. And in 1998, the company Pernod Ricard from France bought the Yerevan Brandy Factory, which, in fact, saved him. It is symbolic that the help came from the French winemakers - the ancestors of this drink. By the way, in their opinion, Armenian cognacs should not be so called. This proud name has the right to wear only the product made in the province of Cognac.

However, brandy from Armenia still retains its already traditional name. Almost 80% of cognac products are exported to Russia, where Armenian cognacs are highly valued. Realizing this, the owners of the factories do not insist on renaming too much - the profit is still more important.

Of what do

Six varieties of grapes are used for its production. Five of them grow on Armenian lands:

• Garant;
• Mschali;
• Dmak;
• Kangun;
• Voskeat.

Another variety is imported from Georgia - Rkatsiteli. To avoid falsification, standards have been adopted according to which Armenian brandy can be considered only a drink made from grapes grown in Armenia, and bottled here.

Brands of cognacs

All Armenian cognac products are divided into three groups, depending on the duration of aging. The first includes ordinary drinks with a shelf life of at least three years. The second group consists of branded cognacs. Their minimum age is six years, they must be aged only in oak barrels. The most popular today is the Armenian cognac "Ararat", produced in Yerevan. The third group is collectible. The youngest of them have a nine-year endurance.