Armenia: A Wine Story Spanning Six Thousand Years

To kick off 2026, the combined wine writers' groups is exploring something or some things new. Host Lynn of Savor the Harvest wrote: "January is about trying wines from a new to you region (or one from which you have never had a wine), a winery you’ve been wanting to try, or a grape(s) you’ve never had. Bonus if your wine is all three!"

Wine and adventure? Yep, I'm in. Not too long ago, I shared Our Central European Whirlwind - Prague, Vienna, and Budapest - Paired with Wine for #WorldWineTravel. and wrote about wines we tried in Czechia, Austria, and Hungary. Earlier in 2025, I shared about Rkatsiteli: An Ancient Grape from the Oldest Wine-Producing Region on Earth for #WorldWineTravel pairing that beautiful amphorae-aged wine from Georgia (the country, not the state!). So I went looking for a new-to-me region and ended up doing a dive into the wines from Armenia. It turns out I had never had wines from the region nor any of those indigenous grapes. Success!

The Line-Up

• Armenia: A Wine Story Spanning Six Thousand Years by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Explore the Wilds of Spain in Priorat by Food Wine Click!

• Exploring Garda Bianco from Poggio delle Grazie as we enter 2026 by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• New Wine Company in the Hills of the Ozarks (Missouri) by Our Good Life

• Something New: Visiting Wineries in Five States You Might Not Expect by Cooking Chat

• The Mystery of Korean Ginseng Wine Explored by Side Hustle Wino

• The Slovakian Princess Grape: Pesecká Leánka by Wineivore

• Where Italy’s Largest Lake Meets the Vineyards: Discovering Garda DOC by Vino Travels

Armenia: A Wine Story Spanning Six Thousand Years

I dove in to learning more about Armenia. Here's what I found...

Archaeological evidence shows wine production in Armenia for the last six thousand years. You read that correctly: six millennia! But, let's start with this: Armenia is a landlocked sovereign country in Southwest Asia, but it's geopolitically more aligned with Eastern Europe. There is written evidence of winemaking in the area from 400 BC. And production of wine and brandy soared during the Soviet era with nearly three-quarters of the wine and spirits being sent to Russia.

There are a few more well-known regions, moving across the country from West to East: Armavir, Aragatsotn, Ararat, and Vayots Ddzor. All three of the wines I sourced come from the Vayots Ddzor, a province that lies in the Southeastern end of the country.

Two of the wines I sourced were produced by Yacoubian-Hobbs, a partnership between Californian Paul Hobbs and the Yacoubian family. In 2003 Hobbs and the Yacoubians began a friendship by email. Five years later, they solidified a partnership and Hobbs travels to Armenia several times a year to oversee the farming and winemaking of the Yacoubian-Hobbs wines with a local team.

2022 Yacoubian-Hobbs Voskehat

This is a single varietal - 100% Voskehat, an indigenous white wine grape that flourishes in the high altitude and rocky soils of the region. Voskehat means 'golden berry' and is renowned for its longevity with many vines living well beyond 100 years.

The wine poured a bright straw color with aromas of honeysuckle, honeydew melon, quince, and orange blossoms. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine showed a refrained acidity and elegant minerality.

Ghapama and Khokhob

To go with the dry white wine, I made my version of two Armenian dishes: Ghapama, rice-stuffed pumpkin, and Khokhob, duck with red berries. Emphasis on my version. These are not traditional preparations; they are more inspired by the regional recipes adapted to fit what is available to me on California's central coast and employing familiar techniques or processes.

Ghapama

• 1 winter squash of your choosing (I used an acorn squash)

• 2 cups cooked rice

• 1./2 cup chopped nuts (I used a mixture of pecans and pistachios)

• 1 Tablespoon honey

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil or melted butter + more for drizzling in the squash

• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the squash so that it sits flat on one end. Slice the other end enough to scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and lightly salt the inside of the prepped squash

Place the rice and nuts in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive and honey. Stir to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the rice and lightly pack the filling into the squash. Drizzle the top with more olive oil and cover the baking dish with foil. Place in the oven and roast for 75 to 90 minutes. It depends on the size of your squash. You will want it soft enough to slice, but still holding its shape.

To serve, place the squash on a serving dish and slice into wedges and let them fall open like a flower.

Khokhob

• 4 duck legs

• 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced

• 1 teaspoon each ground fenugreek, ground coriander, and ground dill

• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

• 1-1/2 cup stock, preferably homemade

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• green onions, trimmed

• currants for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven, place duck legs, skin side down. Turn heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin golden and crisped. Flip to the other side and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the duck to a plate. Place the onions in the same Dutch oven with the rendered duck fat in the bottom. Lay the browned duck pieces on top.

Divide the spices between the four legs then pour in the stock and wine. Nestle the green onions around the duck legs. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven. Braise for 90 minutes.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Return the duck to the oven, uncovered and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the duck is browned and the skin on top crispy.

To serve, plate the duck. Spoon the sauce on the side or over the duck legs. Top with currants.

2022 Yacoubian-Hobbs Red Areni

This wine - also a Yacoubian-Hobbs collaboration - is primarily made from the Areni grape. The Areni, sometimes referred to as the Areni Noir, is a dark-skinned grape indigenous to Southwest Armenia. I already talked about winemaking having six millennia history in Armenia. It was remnants of the Areni grapes that were found in that archaeological site!

This wine is a majority Areni - 90% - with 10% Kakhet grapes. It poured a bright ruby hue with aromas of berries, cherries, and pomegranate. There was also a lovely layer of florals and spice. The wine had a bright fruity core surrounded by an earthy minerality and a lengthy finish.

It was a nice match for a meat-forward dish that's been a family favorite it for decades.

Fasulia

When I saw an Armenian dish that was so similar to one of our family favorites - Lubyee Bi Lahmi - I knew that I had to make it. Fasulia is more saucy than lubyee; that I could do. The beans, however, are cooked until they are limp; that I couldn't do! I believe in keeping and eating veggies as fresh as possible.

Ingredients

• olive oil

• 1 onion, peeled and diced

• 2 to 3 stalks celery, diced

• 1 pound ground lamb (or beef, whatever you have)

• 1 cup diced tomatoes

• 1 cup tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 Tablespoon harissa

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

• 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped

• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths

• salt and pepper to taste

• Also needed: rice for serving (in this case we had rice as part of the Ghapama)

Procedure

In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onions and celery until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add in the ground lamb and cook until fully browned. Stir in the herbs, cinnamon, and harissa.

Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors fully meld. Add in the green beans and cook until the beans are just beginning to soften. You don't want them mushy! It should take approximately 6 or 7 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a scoop of rice.

NV Keush Origins Sparkling Wine

The final Armenian wine I poured was a non-vintage sparkling wine from Keush Winery made by Vahe Keushguerian who was born in Syria, raised in Beirut, and am immigrant to Italy during the Lebanese Civil War. In Italy he discovered his love of wine and eventually started his own winery in Tuscany. But he longed to return to his homeland and, in the mid 2000s, he moved to Armenia and began working to showcase Armenian indigenous grapes.

The Origins sparkling wine is a blend of 60% Voskehat and 40% Khatouni. The wine pours a pale yellow with pinpoint bubbles. The aroma was quite exotic with notes of flowers, herbs, bergamot, and ripe pears. On the palate the wine was bright with a balance of sweet tropical fruits and earthy spices.

I poured the sparkling wine with cookies to end our Armenian wine pairing dinner. But I could see this wine opening up a feast with a seafood-based appetizer as well!

Ma'amoul

First: these are not a traditional ma'amoul. The dough is one I make all the time for thumbprint cookies because it keeps its shape and I knew it would work well in my ma'amoul molds. The filling is also my interpretation made with dried dates, candied ginger, and sesame seeds; the filling typically doesn't have the ginger.

Ingredients

makes approximately 15 cookies

Dough

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar

• 2 eggs (if not making gluten-free, use 2 egg yolks only)

• 2 cups flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)

• 1/2 cup ground almonds

• 2 teaspoons gin (you can use water if you don't have gin)

• Also needed ma'amoul molds, cookie scoops

Filling

• 1-1/2 cups dates

• 3/4 cup candied ginger

• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

• water as needed

• Also needed blender or food processor

Procedure

Filling

Place all of the ingredients in the blender or food processor. Pulse as needed until a thick paste forms. The paste should hold when you roll it into a small ball. Make 15 balls that are just smaller than the diameter of the mold you are using.

Dough

Oil the mold(s) and set aside. I have a flower mold (Amazon affiliate link) and a swirled mold (Amazon affiliate link).

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs until incorporated. Stir in the flour and ground almonds until a flaky dough is formed. Add in the gin, gently working the dough until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes before proceeding. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pinch off pieces of dough and form into small balls, about the size of a walnut in its shell. Press the dough flat . Place a ball of the filling in the center. Pull the dough up and around the filling, so that there are no gaps. Roll it into a ball.

Press the ball into the oiled mold, then tap it out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Let cookies cool for several minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

That's a wrap on my offering for January's new exploration. The wine writers will return in February with Valentines' Day wines from anywhere in the world. Stay tuned!