Strengthening Armenia’s Agricultural Sectors
Civilitas Foundation.
Friday, 09 October 2009 13:10
MAKING WINEMAKING COMPETITIVE: Two professors of viniculture visited
Armenia, at the invitation of the Civilitas Foundation, to speak about
the ways to set, achieve and assure standards in Armenia’s grape and
wine industries.
The visit was the third leg of the Treviso For Armenia program led by
Civilitas Foundation Board Member Hrach Kaspar. Following the visit
last year of winemakers from Italy, Mr. Kaspar led a group of
Armenia’s young vintners to Treviso, Italy’s richest wine producing
region, home of Prosecco. That trip was followed up this month with a
visit from two wine experts who conducted a seminar in Yerevan, after
visiting several wineries.
The Armenian wine-making community, including growers, village heads,
winery owners, students and professors of various agricultural
academies, agreed on the need for standards to protect the quality and
name of Armenia’s grapes and wines. The Armenian and Italian experts
agreed that standards are needed for the entire process – from the
land to the grapes, from the winemaking to the bottling processes.
Those present stressed that the legislation is in place to support
such requirements, and that there are some agricultural cooperatives
and enhancing that tradition would only support the capacity of the
already-small industry to maintain standards. All agreed that what is
needed is cooperation among the various branches of government –
parliament and local administrations, as well as the business
community and the agricultural institutes and experts. The Ambassador
of Italy voiced support for these efforts.
A followup visit will take place in late November by representatives
of the Treviso and Conegliano governments.