Did You Know That…?
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Climate
According to the archeologists, the wine was made for rituals, andthe residents of the territory engaged in winemaking. The wine receptacles and other winemaking tools date back to 4000 B.C. Remains of squashed grapes have also been found in the cave.
Grapes have also been used in miniature paintings, frescos, and sculptures. Grape sculptures were found on the walls of ancient churches and can also be seen on Armenian Khachkars.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has a holiday dedicated to the blessing of ripe grapes called Khaghoghorhnek (Blessing of grapes). Khaghoghorhnekis celebrated on the nearest Sunday around August 12-18, and Armenians believe that grapes sweeten after this blessing.
For thousands of years grapes have been used in the Armenian Highland for winemaking. In 2011, archeologists from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found a grape crusher, remains of grape seeds, wine jars, and plates in the vicinity of the Areni mausoleum located in the Vayots Dzor Region in the Republic of Armenia.