Zorah, `Chilar`

Zorik Gharibian was born in Iran to a family that fled Armenia in 1915. During the Iranian revolution, Zorik’s parents sent him to the Armenian school in Venice, and he later settled in Milan. Zorik visited Armenia for the first time in 1998 and was captivated by the country’s landscape and ancient winemaking traditions. Together with his wife, Yeraz, he began a project to revive traditional viticultural practices and produce wines that reflect the character of this historic country.

In 2006, Zorik planted a six-hectare vineyard in the Vayots Dzor Valley near the village of Rind, a few miles from Mount Ararat, at an elevation of 1,370 metres and just two kilometres from one of the world’s oldest known wine-making sites (dated between 4,100 and 4,000 BC). With no vine nurseries available, the team collected cuttings and propagated clones of ancient Armenian varieties on the estate. The vineyards in this remote area remain ungrafted, as phylloxera has never reached the region. It is from these vines that the Zorah project took shape.

Zorah make their wines with the assistance of consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini. “I was struck by the superb conditions when I first visited,” he says. “The altitude brings cool nights and a long growing season, so harvest takes place at the end of October. The climate is very dry with intense sunlight, and the soils are stony and low in vigour. It is one of the most exciting projects I’ve been involved with.” The winery is equipped with stainless steel tanks, round concrete tanks and a selection of French and Armenian oak. All the wines are fermented and aged in traditional Armenian amphorae, known as ‘karasi’, which Zorik and his team source from local families.

Zorah’s red wine, ‘Karasi’, is made from Areni Noir, a variety thought to be among the oldest in the world and long established in Armenia. Ageing in ‘karasi’ promotes gentle tannin development, resulting in a supple, finely textured wine. The ‘Voskì’, meaning “gold”, is a blend of equal parts Voskéat and Garandmak from ungrafted vines grown at 1,400 metres above sea level. Unoaked, it shows an expressive, aromatic profile with depth and length on the palate. The ‘Yeraz’ is sourced from centuries-old bush vines at 1,600 metres. The elevation and vine age contribute to a wine of notable complexity and balance. “Yeraz means ‘dream’ in Armenian,” explains Zorik. “It represents our ambition to craft a wine of this style.”

The Zorah ‘Heritage’ project focuses on the rare indigenous varieties preserved by the estate. The Chilar, made from vines aged 30–40 years, offers fresh pear and white-peach notes with a long, citrus finish. The Sirenì blend this red grape with 20% Ararati, a white variety from Vayots Dzor that adds lift and complexity. Both wines are vinified in ‘karasi’: Chilar ages for nine months in amphorae, while Sirenì spends about two years in a combination of amphorae and concrete tanks.