Areni Wine Day

A day trip for wine lovers: we leave Yerevan early and follow the Arpa gorge to Areni, home to the 6,100-year-old Areni-1 cave — the oldest known winery on earth, its press, fermentation vats and clay jars rewriting the history of wine. At a family winery in the village we taste Areni Noir made from indigenous grapes, alongside cheese, basturma and fresh lavash. In the afternoon the road climbs through the brick-red gorge to Noravank Monastery, its two-storey church and honey-toned cliffs glowing in the low afternoon sun. Return to Yerevan in the evening.