The ACBA Federation, in collaboration with GIZ Private Sector Development and VET in the South Caucasus, is running a program in Vayots Dzor Region. The program involves the participation of the company and specialists from the "YWU" NGO. Its purpose is to organize and implement processes related to home winemaking, covering various stages from grape cultivation to wine production. Two home winemakers from Aghavnadzor village, who are also members of Rural mutual assistance association, have been selected to participate in the project, with funding provided by the ACBA Federation.
Between November 2018 and March 2019, various activities were carried out including the separation of wines from sediment, wine tasting sessions, vineyard pruning, and providing guidance on the cultivation of wine and orchards.
Assessing the quality of wines through tastings To assess the quality of the wines, a comprehensive approach is adopted, which includes both physicochemical tests and organoleptic evaluations. Following the laboratory analyses, the YWU specialists coordinated a wine tasting session involving industry experts.The tasting panel comprised Zaruhi Muradyan, the director of the Viticulture and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia (VWFA), Mariam Saghatelyan, the co-founder of InVino wine specialty store and cafe, Mikael Mikayelyan, the director of EVN Wine Academy laboratory, and Artem Parseghyan, the head winemaker of Trinity Canyon Gardens.
Based on the tasting outcomes, it was observed that the wines produced by the beneficiaries exhibited a noticeable improvement in quality. The evaluation conducted by independent experts confirmed this positive qualitative difference. The beneficiaries themselves were delighted and impressed by the change, expressing their eagerness to continue implementing the same practices in their vineyards and further enhance their winemaking techniques. The results were so encouraging that they were motivated to pursue ongoing improvement in their wine production. Grape vines pruning Based on the successful outcomes of the previous year's vineyard cultivation, the beneficiaries have allocated the same fields in their vineyards for similar cultivation this year. The beneficiaries participating in the project have attested that the cultivation of grapes using the methods taught by YWU was notably easier and resulted in higher quality grapes compared to their traditional cultivation practices in other areas of the vineyard.
