All grape varieties · Grape variety

Areni noir Vayots

Origin

Armenia — Vayots Dzor region, village of Areni. Considered one of the oldest grape varieties in the world: Areni seeds were found in the Areni-1 wine cave, dated to ~4,100 BC.

Growing regions

Very limited — estimated at fewer than 1,000 ha, almost exclusively in Armenia (Vayots Dzor, Ararat Valley, Aragatsotn). A few experimental plantings in Georgia and among the Armenian diaspora (France, United States).

Also known as

Areni, Areni Sev (sev = black in Armenian), Karmrakhuyt

Areni Noir is Armenia’s great indigenous grape, cultivated for millennia in the deep gorges of Vayots Dzor. On volcanic and limestone soils at 1,300–1,800 metres altitude, it produces wines of singular complexity and minerality, driven by naturally lively high-altitude acidity.