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 euros 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.
The ‘Voskì’, which translates to ‘gold’, is made from equal parts Voskéat and Garandmak, two indigenous Armenian varieties. The grapes hail from ungrafted vines grown in an old village at 1,400 metres above sea level. The resulting wine is unoaked with an intense perfume, great depth on the palate and excellent length.
The ‘Yeraz’ Areni is sourced from centuries-old bush vines grown 1,600 metres above sea level. "The high altitude and age of the vines gives more complexity and elegance," says Zorik. The resulting wine is intense yet balanced, offering a wonderful example of a once-lost world of winemaking. Zorik explains that "Yeraz means ‘dream’ in Armenian. It is the culmination of all our dreams to make a wine like this."
