May 13 2026

AGHAVNADZOR, Armenia — It’s 6 a.m. as the rising sun illuminates apricot-colored cliffs in central Armenia. It’s so still that even the distant buzz of a bee can be heard. Coca-Cola bottles filled with homemade wine for sale line the narrow road leading to acres of grapes growing quietly in an unusual vineyard.

At 1,300 meters (about 4,300 feet) above sea level, Trinity Canyon Vineyards seems like it’s flirting with the sun. Located in Vayots Dzor province, where winters are bitterly cold and summers hot, Trinity Canyon and other vineyards use “vertical viticulture” to grow grapes among the mountains.

Unlike many other wine-producing countries, where vineyards are cultivated horizontally on more level ground, in Armenia vineyards rise from 1,100-1,600 m (3,600-5,250 feet), with elevation affecting climate, soil and harvest timing. With the country’s rocky terrain, even terracing is difficult.

“As a result, most Armenian vineyards, including those in Vayots Dzor, are planted on [natural] plateaus — flat elevated areas that allow the vines to thrive despite the challenging terrain,” Artem Parseghyan, the head winemaker at Trinity Canyon, tells Mongabay.

Parseghyan spends his life on the road, driving between Yerevan, the capital, and Vayots Dzor. Born and raised in Russia, Parseghyan studied viticulture and enology (the science of winemaking) in France and Germany. In 2013, when Trinity Canyon was established, Parseghyan came to Armenia to work at what was then one of the country’s few vineyards.

Regrowing a lost tradition

Winemaking in the area that is now Armenia has a long history. In 2007, archaeologists uncovered an ancient winery in a Vayots Dzor cave complex that they dated to around 6,000 years ago, making it the world’s oldest known winery. But the Soviet Union, preferring brandy to wine, devasted viticulture in Armenia during the 20^th century. Many grape varieties intended for winemaking were removed from the country, hampering the practice here for decades.

Because of this setback, Armenia’s rekindled wine industry did not benefit from decades of academic knowledge and formal training that other winemaking countries had invested in during the 20^th century, according to Parseghyan.

“Winemakers knew how to make wine without knowing what it was made from, while the viticulturist grew grapes without knowing what they would ultimately become,” Parseghyan says.

Trinity Canyon was the first winery in Armenia to receive international organic certification in 2016. However, Parseghyan says the vineyard chose not to continue the annual process for certification renewal, due to its complexity, which requires monthly inspections, detailed record-keeping and significant financial investment.

Still, the winery continues to grow organic grapes, according to Parseghyan.

“Organic is not marketing for us. This green logo doesn’t give us anything in terms of … value, because before getting the certificate and up till now, we do everything in organic standards,” Parseghyan says.

He says Trinity Canyon continues its commitment to organic growing in order to protect soil and local biodiversity. The team works to protect local biodiversity by using cover crops to enrich depleted soil and improve its composition, instead of relying on synthetic fertilizers. Despite avoiding chemical inputs like pesticides and herbicides, Parseghyan says diseases are absent in Trinity’s plots while neighboring vineyards experience problems.

Red grapes grow under an apricot sun. Image courtesy of the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia.

“When we manage our entire plot, the last four rows that touch the neighbor’s land are not treated as organic,” Parseghyan says, noting that those rows may be tainted by pesticides from adjacent farms.

“You have to harvest them separately, discard them, sell them or dry them. This is the buffer zone that protects your vineyard from neighboring interference,” he adds.

Wine is made from cultivars of the common grape vine (Vitis vinifera), a plant native to the Eurasian region that encompasses Armenia. At the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (NAS RA), a team of researchers at the Laboratory of Plant Genomics has been studying native grape varieties in the hopes of determining how best to conserve and manage them in the face of climate change.

The team has collected and sequenced more than 3,400 grape samples since the lab’s inception in 2012, despite limited genetic resources.

“Winemaking wasn’t so popular in Armenia when we began this process,” says Kristine Margaryan, who heads the lab. “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the collections had completely disappeared.”

Margaryan tells Mongabay that in order to collect samples, she and her colleagues traveled across the country, gleaning information from historical botanical records of the grape varieties that had grown in the various regions of Armenia prior to the rise of the Soviet Union.

Bottles of wine line the walls at Trinity Canyon Vineyard, the result of the revival of Armenia’s ancient wine-making culture. Image courtesy of Trinity Canyon Vineyard.

Adapting to a changing world

Margaryan says that in Vayots Dzor, the temperature has increased by around 1.3-1.4° Celsius (2.3-2.5° Fahrenheit) over the past century. If this trend continues, she warns, agriculture will need to move higher, including wineries. That’s why grape diversity is crucial: it allows the vines to perform well not just at 1,000 m (3,300 ft), but even at 2,200 m (7,200 ft).

To meet this need, Margaryan and her team established Armenia’s first high-altitude vineyard at 2,080 meters (6,824 feet) in cooperation with Maran Winery to test the different varieties. They found that many of the local Armenian varieties thrived, while those from Western Europe did not.

The next step, according to Margaryan, is determining why Armenian varieties are better able to tolerate high-altitude conditions.

“I hope that in the coming years we will have enough data to study this high-altitude vineyard’s grapes in detail; specifically, to sequence them and understand how gene _expression_ has changed under these conditions,” Margaryan says.

Climate change isn’t the only threat to Armenia’s reawakening wine industry. Grape phylloxera, a small invasive insect from North America, attacks grapevine roots and foliage. In Europe, phylloxera infestations have wiped out entire vineyards in just five or six years.

“We must know how to extend the life of vineyards,” says Zaruhi Muradyan, CEO of the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia and founder of the EVN Wine Academy. “Various measures like specific irrigation methods, non-drip systems, and air circulation can help mitigate the negative effects, but we must be prepared.”

In recent years, Muradyan says, large wineries have begun establishing their own vineyards to increase consistency and manage impact by fully controlling the process rather than depending on other farmers.

Muradyan says Armenia’s wine industry is also hampered by a shortage of karas, the clay amphorae used for fermenting and storing wine and which are at the heart of Armenia’s winemaking heritage. Muradyan’s solution to the shortage is to establish a dedicated karas-making school.

“This could become an attractive tourism direction as well, showing visitors how karas are made, offering masterclasses, and at the same time supplying the industry with locally produced vessels,” Muradyan says.

While the focus on traditional methods like karas highlights Armenia’s rich winemaking heritage, there’s also growing attention on the impacts of vineyards on the surrounding environment. Muradyan says she doesn’t prefer the term “agroecology” as she doesn’t fully believe it’s possible to achieve a completely “pure” system in a polluted environment.

Still, she says, many wineries are beginning to move in that direction, introducing techniques to reduce environmental impact, such as minimizing waste, protecting soil health, and improving sustainability, though these are not yet widespread.

“Recently, we met with an international partner who proposed a project to map vineyards more precisely identifying where they are located, which grape varieties are planted, and what kinds of production environments exist around them,” Muradyan says. “The goal is to guide future investments toward the most suitable regions. Winemaking has a long history in Armenia, yet it requires tremendous work.”

As the sun sets over the mountains of Vayots Dzor, the vineyards fade into the rocky landscape. In a tiny country like Armenia, dialects shift from region to region just like its native grapes, each carrying the accent of its soil. Rooted in ancient traditions yet open to new challenges, these grapes preserve the memory of the land.

Banner image: Harvesters carry baskets full of grapes at an Armenian vineyard. Image courtesy of the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia.

Citation:

Barnard, H., Dooley, A. N., Areshian, G., Gasparyan, B., & Faull, K. F. (2011). Chemical evidence for wine production around 4000 BCE in the Late Chalcolithic Near Eastern highlands. Journal of Archaeological Science, 38(5), 977-984. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.012

Reformation

May 12 2026

The request was sent on January 10, 2025. On November 14 of the same year, Armenia received a reply stating that the extradition request would be considered under the applicable international treaty after his location and detention on Belarusian territory, Armenpress reports, citing Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

Nver Tsarukyan is a defendant in a criminal case involving armed hooliganism at a casino in the town of Tsakhkadzor in October 2024. The younger Tsarukyan is charged with incitement to robbery, hooliganism involving the use of weapons, and illegal weapons possession.

In November 2024, Tsarukyan’s lawyer said that he had traveled to Belarus on a “business trip”.

The issue of Tsarukyan’s extradition from Belarus was raised today by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an election rally. He promised to bring Nver back from Belarus and hold him accountable.

“There is one person in Armenia defending the president of Belarus because his son never fired a shot on the frontline, but fired shots in Kotayk Province and fled. We will bring him back and imprison him. Boy, you will not escape anywhere, your father will not save you, your uncle Robik will not save you either. … We will bring everyone to their knees and hold them accountable. Gagik Tsarukyan, we will drag your boy back from Belarus by the scruff of the neck and hold him accountable,” Pashinyan said emotionally, according to news.am.

In response, Gagik Tsarukyan called criticism directed at family members unacceptable. He said that his son would return to Armenia after June 7, when he would “finish his affairs” abroad.

Tsarukyan also described Aliaksandr Lukashenka as his friend and said that his personal relationship with him had helped resolve issues important to Armenia.

“Lukashenka is my friend, he is like family to me, and he was ready to help our country on any issue whenever it was needed,” Tsarukyan said, adding that friendship and state work should not be confused.

Tsarukyan has repeatedly described Lukashenka as his friend. The Belarusian Embassy in Armenia is located next to Tsarukyan’s mansion in the village of Arinj on the outskirts of Yerevan. In January 2024, Viktar Lukashenka visited Tsarukyan in his capacity as head of the Armenian Olympic Committee. In 2025, Armenian blogger Bella (Roza Babakhanyan), who had been detained in Belarus, was released with Tsarukyan’s assistance.

Daily Sabah, Turkey

May 13 2026

Amedieval bridge at the UNESCO-listed Ani ruins, spanning the Arpaçay River on the Türkiye-Armenia border, is set for joint restoration after Türkiye and Armenia agreed on a new cooperation protocol aimed at preserving the historic Silk Road structure.

A memorandum of understanding on the joint restoration of the Ani Bridge was signed on May 4 by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a move welcomed by local residents and historians.

The agreement was also signed under the coordination of Türkiye’s presidential special envoy, Ambassador Serdar Kılıç, and Armenia’s special representative Ruben Rubinyan.

Located within the Ani ruins, the Ani Bridge once served as a key crossing point on the historic Silk Road. One foot of the bridge lies in Türkiye and the other in Armenia, reflecting its unique cross-border position over the Arpaçay River.

Archaeologists estimate the structure was built in the 11th or 12th century during the medieval period. It was likely constructed as a two-level bridge and features a single pointed arch spanning approximately 30 meters (nearly 100 feet), considered a significant engineering achievement for its time. The structure collapsed during the 19th century amid regional conflict, leaving it partially destroyed on both sides of the border.

Muhammet Arslan, an associate professor at Kafkas University and head of excavations at Ani, said the site remains one of the most important archaeological areas for understanding medieval urban life in the region.

Arslan described Ani as “the starting point of Turkish-Islamic history in Anatolia,” noting that it contains some of the earliest examples of mosques, baths, cemeteries and marketplaces built during the Seljuk period.

He added that the Ani Bridge is a key surviving structure within the ancient city.

Because the original inscription on the bridge has not survived, its exact construction date remains uncertain, Arslan said. However, its architectural design dates to the 11th-12th centuries.

“Based on its plan and architecture, we can say it belongs to that period,” Arslan said. “It is a single-arched structure with a wide span over the Arpaçay River. For the Middle Ages, this represents a major architectural and engineering achievement.”

Arslan noted that the bridge was damaged during the 19th-century occupations and now stands in ruins on both sides of the international border.

He said the newly signed protocol represents a major step toward preservation.

“Under the protocol, the bridge will be jointly restored by both countries,” Arslan said. “This is a valuable development for protecting a world heritage site. It is also an important part of the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia.”

He added that restoration plans are being prepared and that archaeological work around the bridge will be included in upcoming excavation programs. “The restoration will be completed in accordance with international conservation principles and returned to its original form,” he said.

Watertown News

May 13 2026

The following announcement was provided by the Armenian Museum of America:

Due to overwhelming interest and positive reviews from prominent publications such as Boston Art Review and Artscope magazine, the Armenian Museum of America recently announce that “Arshile Gorky: Redrawing Community and Connections” has been extended to Sept. 27, 2026.

The show was highlighted as a top pick by the Boston Globe and by GBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen. 

This landmark exhibition was opened to coincide with the 100 Years of Arshile Gorky programming in the City of Watertown. Curated by Kim S. Theriault and sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation, the exhibition brings together works from private collectors and leading institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Housatonic Museum of Art, and Yale University Art Gallery.

“Gorky’s work demonstrates an aptitude for navigating the zeitgeist of his time; through synthesizing surrealist, abstract, and modernist frameworks, he formulates an approach that was increasingly his own. By tracing his artistic development alongside his personal history,

Redrawing Community and Connections situates Gorky as a progenitor of Abstract Expressionism,” writes Abigail Feliciano in Boston Art Review. “Comprising generous loans from the Armenian diaspora, the exhibition reinforces that Gorky’s work has been sustained not solely by institutions, but by individuals who chose to steward his place in art history.”

“Redrawing Community and Connections” explores how Gorky, who arrived in Watertown after surviving the Armenian Genocide, helped shape modern art in America while forging powerful connections rooted in resilience and belonging. “This exhibition presents a fresh lens on Gorky’s legacy, emphasizing the deep human connections that shaped his art and life,” notes Dr. Theriault.

“As the first Armenian museum to host an exhibition of Arshile Gorky’s work, we are honored to share this remarkable collection,” adds Museum President Michele M. Kolligian. “When we saw the response from our members and the art world, we made every effort to extend the exhibit so we can share this unique story with a wider audience. We are truly grateful to the lenders for supporting the extension of the show. We are proud to present these rarely seen works and to invite visitors to engage with Gorky’s story in a meaningful way.”

Cyprus Mail

May 13 2026

Anadolu Agency, Turkey

May 13 2026

Türkiye, İstanbul