Zorah Voski 2023

The Land

Armenia is often filed under "new" wine countries, yet the village of Rind in Vayots Dzor sits about a kilometer from the Areni-1 cave, home to the oldest known winery on earth. Zorah's main vineyards lie at about 1,400 meters, on rocky, sandy, sub-alkaline soils rich in limestone and large stones. Phylloxera never reached this ground, so the vines grow on their own roots, and the original cuttings came from the abandoned vineyards of a nearby 12th-century monastery. Winters are severe, summers are very dry with intense sunlight, and nights at this altitude turn cold. Those big day-to-night swings stretch the season, pushing harvest into October, and they let white grapes ripen fully while holding on to sharp, mountain-grown acidity.

The Wine

Zorah Voski 2023 is a white wine from Armenia, a 50/50 blend of two native grapes: Voskehat, whose name means "golden seed" and which Armenians treat as their queen of white varieties, and the much rarer Garandmak. Unlike Zorah's red Karasi, Voski does not see amphora. It ferments with natural yeasts in large, temperature-controlled concrete vats left raw, without an epoxy lining, then ages 11 months in that same rough concrete and a further 6 months in bottle before release. Concrete adds texture and a slight breadth without the flavor of oak, and the long rest smooths the edges. Expect white flowers and a spicy, almost peppery lift, then ripe apricot and yellow peach, vivid acidity, layered depth, and a long, stony finish.

The People

Zorik Gharibian is a diaspora Armenian who grew up in Italy and built a successful career in fashion there. He first visited Armenia in 1998, and his first project was not wine at all: he revived a dormant knitwear factory in the southern city of Kapan that came to employ more than 250 women. Around 2000, rather than buy the Tuscan vineyard he had been considering, he began buying land in Rind with his wife, Yeraz. With agronomist Stefano Bartolomei, he spent years searching Vayots Dzor for native varieties, many close to vanishing, and propagating them. More than a decade passed before the first commercial release, and the estate still works only with Armenian varieties.

Food Pairing

Voski has the acidity and texture to handle herbs, smoke, and fat. Grilled trout stuffed with tarragon and lemon plays the floral lift against the fish's sweetness. Try a plate of lavash with herbed cheese, fresh purslane, radishes, and green onions, the Armenian way, where the wine's acidity cuts the cheese. Chicken thighs roasted with apricots and a pinch of cumin echo the stone fruit. A bowl of spinach and yogurt soup with garlic also suits the wine's stony finish. Open this when friends are coming over and you want a bottle that gets everyone asking where it comes from.