DIASPORA CONSUMES ARMENIAN WINE

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“No legal norm prohibits a producer to write on the bottle whatever he wants, while each label should give information about the wine, provide information about the place where the wine was made, about its history and give information about those who have made the wine. But today we have to believe in each information written on the label”, says President of Wine-Makers Association of Armenia Avag Harutunyan.

This and many other problems hamper the export of the Armenian wine.

“About 2 million bottles were exported from Armenia in 2006, while Georgia used to export 40 million bottles and Moldova 200 million bottles to the Russian market. “One bottle of Armenian wine costs 2 USD, the price of the exportation is 0,5 USD, thus the Armenian wine costs about 3-5 USD. They are the cheapest wines. In this regard Armenian wines are competitive with wines costing 1-3 USD. On the other hand Armenia is perceived with its cognac by the world” says Mr Harutunyan. He considers that the main consumer of the Armenian wine in abroad is the Armenian Diaspora.

Avag Harutunyan considers that Armenia should answer to two main questions during its 70-year-old activities in this field – how the Armenian sorts of grape feel in the European technological system and how the European sorts feel on our land. European standards demand defined technologies for growing grape, restrictions of some sorts and certain deadlines of harvest.

Mr Harutunyan ensures that the grape growing in a valley does not correspond to the European standards. Grape growing in Syunik and Tavush regions is more qualified.

“Thousand hectares of lands are left uncultivated, while grape corresponding to the European standards may grow there”, mentioned Avag Harutunyan.