Areni and Voskehat: portrait of Armenia’s two main grape varieties
For the first time in its history, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles | CMB is setting up in Yerevan. From 21 to 23 May 2026, the Armenian capital will host the Red and White Wines Session of one of the world’s most influential wine competitions.
An unprecedented encounter between one of the ancient cradles of viticulture and the excellence of international wine tasting.
To better understand these wines, let us begin by getting to know their indigenous grape varieties: Areni and Voskehat.
Two grape varieties, one millennia-old terroir
Some grape varieties travel before taking root in a land that ultimately defines them. Others, by contrast, have never belonged anywhere else. This is the case for these two varieties.
Shaped by unique soils: basalt, tuff, obsidian, remnants of intense volcanic activity, they draw their identity from a raw, mineral-rich land. Vineyards stretch between 600 and 1,800 meters above sea level, among the highest in the world, as if suspended between sky and earth.
Bathed in more than 300 days of sunshine per year, they nevertheless benefit from the cool mountain nights, which slow grape ripening and preserve acidity.
Here, vines are often own-rooted, still growing on their original roots, a rare heritage and a testament to preserved viticulture.
Areni: precision and elegance
Areni is Armenia’s flagship red grape variety. It is described as precise, airy, and structured. It carries the signature of altitude and volcanic stone, with a captivating elegance and strong aging potential.
Its name is also that of a cave. In 2007, archaeologists exploring the Areni-1 site in southern Armenia discovered the world’s oldest known winery: a fermentation vat, a pressing basin, and karases (clay vessels) buried in the ground. All of it dates back to around 4,100 BCE.
Voskehat: generosity and structure
If Areni is the voice of Armenia’s red wines, Voskehat is its white counterpart. Generous yet structured, it offers Armenia’s most accomplished white expression, textured and with a depth that rewards patience.
Like Areni, it grows in a challenging environment. This is precisely what Armenia’s indigenous grape varieties share: they do not soften in the face of these conditions, nor do they drift. They preserve, vintage after vintage, their intact personality.
A heritage of 450 varieties
Areni and Voskehat are not alone. They are part of a geographical heritage of more than 450 indigenous and autochthonous varieties, including Khndoghni, Lalavari, Garan Dmak, Kakhet (also called Milagh), Kangun, and Haghtanak.
It is one of the richest and oldest viticultural heritages in the world, in a country that scientists regularly identify as one of the cradles of the domestication of Vitis vinifera.
