Zorah | Vayots Dzor

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 well.