Ancient legends say that Armenia is the birthplace of winemaking. According to one of them, after the 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 the cultivation of this culture in Armenia totals already three and a half millennia.
The history of the creation of Armenian cognacs is much shorter, but no less interesting. The opening of the first plant for the production of this noble drink is associated with the name of the local merchant Narses Tairyan. It was he who first decided to manufacture it in Armenia using French technology and named Fin-Champagne. In 1889, Tairian sold the plant to Shustov, Russian industrialists. And already they have widely developed production. By 1914, 15 such plants were built in the country. "Shustovsky" drink has become popular not only in Russia, it could be bought abroad. Armenian cognacs have repeatedly won prizes at various exhibitions.
Becoming
After all the revolutionary upheavals and the establishment of Soviet power in the Caucasus, brandy production continued. Only the owner of the plants was now the 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 even by the fact that Winston Churchill was a great admirer of Armenian cognac, and he already knew how to understand elite alcoholic beverages.
French rescuers
In the early years of independence, despite the difficulties, brandy production was not stopped in Armenia. And in 1998, the Perno-Ricard company from France bought the Yerevan Brandy Factory, which, in fact, saved it. It is symbolic that help came from French winemakers - the founders of this drink. By the way, in their opinion, Armenian cognacs should not be so called. This proud name has the right to carry only a product made in the province of Cognac.
However, brandy from Armenia still retains its traditional name. Almost 80% of cognac production is delivered to Russia, where Armenian cognacs are very highly valued. Realizing this, the owners of the factories do not insist too much on renaming - making a profit is still more important.
What are they made of
Six grapes are used for its production. Five of them grow on Armenian lands:
- Garan;
- Mskhali;
- Dmak;
- Kangun;
- Voskeat.
Another variety is imported from Georgia - Rkatsiteli. To avoid fakes, standards have been adopted according to which only a drink made from grapes grown on the
territory of Armenia and bottled here can be considered as Armenian cognac.
Brands of Cognac
All Armenian cognac products are divided into three groups, depending on the duration of exposure. The first includes ordinary drinks, the aging period of which is at least three years. The second group consists of vintage cognacs. Their minimum age is six years, they should be aged only in oak barrels. The most popular today is the Armenian brandy "Ararat", produced in Yerevan. The third group is collectible. The youngest of them have a nine-year exposure.