A Long-Forgotten Indigenous Grape Comes to the Market

Zulal, a wine company that aims to rediscover rare and nearly lost indigenous grape varieties, has made a discovery. The red variety Karmir Kot is one of the latest additions to their Alpha Collection series.

Karmir Kot is a grape indigenous to Armenia's Aghavnadzor village in the Vayots Dzor region. Aimee Keushguerian, the founder of Zulal, stated, "I founded Zulal to rediscover rare and almost lost indigenous grape varieties. We work every year with a grape geneticist to take samples of grapes and identify their DNAs. My winemaker, Arman Manoukian, and I were walking through vineyards in Vayots Dzor exploring, and we discovered Karmir Kot." Their continued research indicated that this variety is an ancient one.

^{Zulal Karmir Kot label artist Arshak Sarkissian (left) and Zulal founder Aimee Keushguerian | Photo Credit: GastroVino by Mediamax}

According to Keushguerian, the grapes were tight-clustered, thick-skinned, and looked incredibly healthy on the vines. "We hand-selected them during the harvest and purchased them almost on the spot."

Karmir Kot tastes different from Areni and Tozot, Armenia’s most common red grape varieties. It’s also rare: the variety exists only in two or three vineyards and hasn't been vinified in many years. As a result, Zulal produced a limited quantity–only about 1,200 bottles.

Karmir Kot can be found in specialized restaurants in Yerevan, such as In Vino, Collective, Wine Republic, and Noyan Tapan.