Agriculture
Armenia has been famous for its fruits-especially apples, pears, apricot, peaches, cherries, and plums. Since early times, the Armenian apricot has been one of the most famous fruits. The pre-mountainous zone (altitude of 1000-1500 m) is known for cereals, barley, cold-resistant fruit gardens, and grapes.
Did You Know That…?
The history of Wine Making in the
Armenian Highland
According to legend, wine making began when Noah planted the first grapes on the slopes of Ararat. According to philosophers and historians such as Herodotus and Strabo, Armenia has been famous for its wine –making for centuries. These traditions have been preserved up to the present day. Ten wine storage rooms with 200 wine barrels were discovered during excavations in the Erebuni area. It is believed that in 401-400 B.C., when Greek troops led by Xenophon were passing through Armenia, local families treated them to Armenian wine and beer that were stored in underground storage facilities in special clay jars. Such a storage facility with 480 wine jars dating back 2500 years was discovered in the Karmir Blur (Teishebayini) fortress. Various sources cite that wine making was a specialty in the Urartu kingdom and describe elaborate wine and beer brewing technologies in the region. These Armenian wine-making traditions have been preserved throughout the years. The Areni wine festival is still held every year in the Areni village. The festival offersanopportunity to discover Armenian traditions and to taste an assortment of top Armenian wines. The opening of the festival includes an impressive and colorful parade, accompanied by music and dancing.
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