Bright ruby red in colour, this wine has complex aromas of red fruits, lightly spiced with an elegant toasted note. The palate reflects the exotic nose with hints of soft red fruits, dried mountain herbs and wild earth. Generous and soft with balanced, full-bodied structure and mature tannins before a long, evolved mineral finish.

In 2006, Zorik Gharibian planted a six-hectare vineyard in Armenia’s Yeghegnadzor Valley, under the guidance of Italian viticulturist Stefano Bartolomei. Here, the indigenous Areni grape variety thrives at an elevation of 1,370 metres, close to Mount Ararat and just two kilometres from one of the world's oldest wineries, dating back 6,100 years. The vineyard is also ungrafted, as phylloxera has never reached this remote area of Armenia. It was from these vines that the Zorah project was born.

The Zorah wines are made under the guidance of renowned winemaker and consultant Alberto Antonini. "I was struck by the superb conditions when I first visited the area", says Alberto. "The altitude gives cool nights and a long growing season, so we don‘t harvest until the end of October. It is very dry with intense sunlight and stony, low-vigour soils. It is one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever been involved with."

Zorik Gharibian was born in Iran, into a family who had fled Armenia in 1915. When the Iranian revolution began, his parents sent him to the Armenian school in Venice, Italy. After completing his studies, Zorik remained in Italy and built a successful fashion business which enabled him to pursue his winemaking passion and invest over €1 million in the Zorah project. The winery was built with stainless steel tanks, round cement tanks and some French and Armenian oak. Alberto has since included amphorae for ageing, as the polymerisation of tannins they facilitate in Areni ensures a supple and sinewy wine. As a result, they now make the exclusively amphora-aged Areni Noir’ Karasì’, which translates to ‘amphora’ in Armenian.

Areni Noir (100%)

Yeghegnadzor