Tradition Meets Tenacity: Unveiling the Story Behind Armenia’s 2021 Molana Wine

What You Need to Know About Armenian Wine & Molana Wine

Despite boasting a rich winemaking history dating back millennia, Armenia’s viticulture has faced numerous challenges. Centuries of political turmoil, including Ottoman and Russian rule followed by Soviet control, severely impacted Armenian wine production and completely disrupted this unique wine culture. Traditional grape varieties were abandoned in favor of mass-produced varieties under Soviet rule. Adding insult to injury, these newly planted grape varieties did not go into the region’s wine, they were used to make brandy for the Soviets that dictated what the culture could and could not consume.  

Enter Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian, a father-daughter team determined to revive Armenia’s winemaking heritage. Vahe and Aimee established WineWorks in Yerevan and embarked on a mission to rediscover Armenia’s forgotten grape varieties and, in a way, reclaim their cultural history. 

Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t without setbacks, including severe and violent internal conflicts within the country. For most of us who are passionate about wine, the challenges facing Armenian wine and bottles like the 2021 Molana profiled here would not have come to light had it not been for the team at SommTV filming a documentary called Cup of Salvation. 

You see, the filmmaking in 2020 happened to coincide with a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A crucial vineyard, located in the line of fire just before harvest, presented an especially difficult dilemma for Vahe and Aimee: should they risk harvesting the vines and potentially face violence or lose the entire crop, which wouldn’t just mean an enormous amount of time and money would have been lost, but not harvesting the grapes would have been yet another setback, not just to the winery, but to the broader struggle to lift this wine community. 

Thankfully, there was a break in the fighting, and the Keushguerians were able to harvest the grapes without injury.

Molana Wine Made with Iranian Grapes

Interestingly, the grapes used to make Molana wine were not from the vineyard featured so dramatically in the scene mentioned above. To secure the rare Rasheh grapes used to this wine, Vahe traveled to Iran, somewhat clandestinely to secure the fruit (22 tons, in total), to make the 2021 dry Molana, and a sparkling rose wine.

The name of the wine is a reference to the revered Persian poet Rumi.

The Rasheh Grape

Nestled in the rain-swept slopes of Iran’s Kurdistan province, the Rasheh grape offers a tantalizing glimpse into the unexplored corners of the wine world. Unlike the meticulously irrigated vineyards that dominate modern viticulture, Rasheh thrives on a decidedly low-intervention approach. Here, the vines draw their character from the vagaries of the mountain climate, whispering tales of mineral-rich soils and sun-drenched days.

The exact origins of Rasheh remain shrouded in mystery, but its presence in Iranian viticulture hints at a long and potentially illustrious past. Recent studies have begun to shed light on the impact of terroir on this intriguing grape. Vineyards situated on south-facing slopes at higher elevations seem to produce grapes boasting a wealth of anthocyanins – the very compounds responsible for a wine’s depth of color and potential for bold tannins. Intriguingly, these grapes also exhibit heightened levels of antioxidant capacity, phenolics, and total soluble carbohydrates, alluding to a wine with remarkable complexity.

While dedicated Rasheh bottlings remain elusive, the characteristics of the grape itself paint a captivating picture. The abundance of anthocyanins suggests a wine of profound color – almost like a Cabernet Sauvignon, which also has a high amount of anthocyanins – with the potential for a structured mouthfeel thanks to the presence of tannins. Unveiling the full potential of Rasheh will undoubtedly require further exploration, but for the adventurous oenophile, this little-known grape presents a thrilling prospect on the horizon. 

Interest in the grape has received a noticeable boost since the release of the Somm: Cup of Salvation movie.