New Voskehat Wine Festival kicks off in Armenia

ArmInfo. Wine festivals are held annually in Yerevan and Areni, which are popular not only with the local population, but also with tourists. In order to  further popularize Armenian wine, the Vineyard and Winemaking  Development Fund (VWFA) initiated a new Voskeat wine festival this  time in Ashtarak, Aragatsotn region, which the Fund carries out  together with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia. The  head of the Viticulture and Winemaking Fund Zaruhi Muradyan announced  a new initiative on September 5 during a press conference.

According to her, over 25 winemakers will take part in the festival,  and the main emphasis will be placed on producers of homemade wine of  the Aragatsotn region. "The festival, which will last 3 days, aims to  increase the recognition of the Aragatsotn region as a wine region,  the development of enotourism and the activation of cultural life in  the region," she said. In this regard, the head of the Fund noted  that 5% of the total number of tourists choosing Armenia as a tourist  destination visits the country for the purpose of enotourism.

Muradyan also said that the festival program will be quite  interesting and rich, in particular, a competition and awarding of  home-made wine producers are expected, many master classes for  guests, including wine tasting, games, and national dishes will also  be presented as part of the festival. , - said the head of the Fund.

During the press conference, it was also stated that from September 7  from 16:00 to 19:00 from Yerevan Republican Square free  transportation of passengers wishing to attend the Voskeat Wine  Festival in Ashtarak will be carried out, and accordingly from 22:00  to 00 : 00 from Ashtarak to Yerevan.  The festival is supported by  the RA Ministry of Economy, the United Nations Development Program  (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development  (USAID), the My Armenia program, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Recall that the Fund of Viticulture and Winemaking of Armenia was  created by the decision of the government of June 23, 2016. The  activities of the Fund are aimed at solving problems associated with  improving the quality of wine products to ensure their  competitiveness in the domestic and foreign markets.  The Fund  carries out activities to improve the Armenian wine brand and  increase the recognition of Armenia as the ancient cradle of wine.

According to the Statcommittee of the Republic of Armenia, in the  first half of 2019, 5.7 million liters were produced in Armenia.  wine, which is 42.8% more than a year ago. According to the RA  Customs Service, during the reporting period, Armenia exported 1.3  million liters. wine, with annual growth of 16.5%, with a decrease in  customs value by 1.5%. Traditionally, the main export market for  Armenian wine is the Russian Federation (72.3%), followed by China  (5%), Switzerland (4%), USA (3.4%), Poland (2%), France (1.8 %),  Italy (1.5%), Ukraine (1.2%), Georgia (1%).