{"title":"Zorah | Vayots Dzor","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: none;\" alt=\"Zorah Vineyards in Armenia\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/Zorah_Vineyards.jpg?v=1711708088\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZorik 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"zorah-voski","title":"Zorah Voski 2021\/22","description":"\u003cp\u003eZorah has 15 hectares of vineyards, surrounded by mountains, at 1,400 metres above sea level and only a little over a kilometre from a 6,100 year old winery. The vineyards are situated in the small rural village of Rind, in the heart of Vayotz Dzor. Long dry summers with plenty of sunlight and high daytime temperatures that contrast with cool nights encourage a lengthy growing season. The phylloxera-free soils are rocky and rich in limestone, helping maintain moisture for the vines during the intense summer heat. These conditions enable the ancient native varieties, Voskèak and Garandmak, to reach their full potential. Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-picked grapes were destemmed and crushed before fermentation took place in large temperature controlled concrete tanks with no epoxy resin lining and using only natural yeast. The wine was then aged in rough concrete tanks for 11 months and a further six months in bottle prior to release. This wine has generous aromas of pear, peach and apricot, with subtle nutty hints. It has a rich texture and a beautiful freshness on the palate, supported by a soft minerality. [#intro]Fresh, floral \u0026amp; spicy white made from two indigenous Armenian grape varieties; Voskéak \u0026amp; Garandmak...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zorah","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41106612224067,"sku":"A21ZORAHVOSKI-1","price":37.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/VoskiBt.jpg?v=1711974192"},{"product_id":"zorah-karasi-areni-noir","title":"Zorah 'Karasi' Areni Noir 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eFruit for the Zorah 'Karasi' Areni Noir are sourced from the estates 15 hectares of vineyards, surrounded by mountains and situated at 1400-1600 metres above sea level in the small rural village of Rind, in the heart of Vayots Dzor. Extremely resistant to disease and with a very thick skin, Areni Noir has developed the unique capacity to adapt perfectly to the extreme climate of Vayots Dzor, its natural habitat. Upon arrival at the winery, fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts in temperature controlled concrete tanks. After fermentation the wine was aged for 12 months in traditional Armenian clay amphorae, made from local clay. Following ancient Armenian wine-making techniques dating back 3000 years, the amphorae are three quarters buried to improve the circulation of the wine in the vessel and to have a constant temperature during the ageing process. The bottled wine was then aged for a further 6 months prior to release. Deep ruby red in colour, this wine has a spicy and herbal character alongside bright red fruits and cherry aromas. The tannins are delicate and well integrated. The acidity carries the wine to a long and lively finish. [#intro]Exclusively amphora-aged Areni Noir’ Karasì’, which translates to ‘amphora’ in Armenian...[\/intro]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zorah","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56234811949437,"sku":"A22ZORAHKARASIARENINOIR-1","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/files\/AreniNoirBT.jpg?v=1750102549"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0106\/1539\/0266\/collections\/Zorah_Collection_Logo.jpg?v=1711708196","url":"https:\/\/hic.wine\/collections\/zorah-vayots-dzor\/zorah.oembed","provider":"Hic!","version":"1.0","type":"link"}