Yerevan cognac factory "Ararat" is considered one of the most famous sights of the city. It is here that the legendary Armenian cognacs "Ararat"are produced today. There is a museum at the factory, where excursions are conducted, and a tasting room. Visitors will be able to learn the legendary history of Armenian cognac, see the process of its production, as well as taste the best cognacs produced by the Yerevan Cognac Factory and buy the famous drink. The exhibition of the plant's museum contains many awards of the highest standard for the quality of products, as well as photographic materials indicating the visit of famous politicians, stars, public figures and creative people to the enterprise.
Legend has it that mankind first learned the taste of wine and felt its effect when Noah tasted this life-giving drink at the foot of Mount Ararat. The brandies of the Ararat plant have a deep amber color, a rich aroma and a long aftertaste. The climate of Armenia, and especially the Ararat Valley, is radically different from the climate of other countries producing high-quality cognacs and brandy: France, Spain, Greece. According to long-term climate observations, the Ararat Valley, located at an altitude of more than 700 m above sea level, has an average of 300 sunny days a year. Such climatic conditions lead to an increased concentration of aromatic substances and sugars in grapes. There are about 30 types of soils in the small-sized Ararat Valley, and the same grape variety can have many flavors here. For the production of cognacs of this plant, endemic grape varieties growing exclusively in the Ararat Valley are used – Voskehat, Garandmak, Rkatsireli, Mskali, Kangun. Aging of cognac spirits and aging in Caucasian oak barrels, which give the drink a taste of vanilla, chocolate and dried fruits.
Cognac production in Armenia was founded in 1887 by the merchant of the first guild Nersess Tairyan at the first wine and vodka factory built by him in Yerevan. The alcohol was smoked according to the classical cognac technology by two distillers of the Charente type. The plant was bought by a large industrialist N. Shustov in 1899. In 1900, he incognito sent samples of his cognac to an exhibition in Paris. The professional jury unanimously awarded the unknown winemaker the Grand Prix. And when they learned that the winner of the contest was not a Frenchman, they allowed Shustov, as an exception, to write "brandy" and "cognac"on their bottles.
At the Yalta conference, Joseph Stalin treated Winston Churchill to an Armenian Cognac "Dvin". Since then, for many years, Churchill was sent 400 bottles of Dvin cognac. According to legends, when an elderly Churchill was asked about the secrets of his longevity, he answered without hesitation: "Never be late for dinner, smoke Havana cigars and drink Armenian cognac." In 1998, the plant was created by the French company Pernod Ricard, they received the rights to the most famous trademarks, including "Ararat", and monitor the quality of cognacs. A visit to the Yerevan Cognac factory "Ararat" is included by our company Inkomartur 93 in this excursion tour to Armenia and a tour to Yerevan.
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