Krya Wines: Reimagining Areni from Vernashen

Growing up in Vernashen, a small village in the Vayots Dzor, Tatevik Gabriyelyan dreamt about becoming a winemaker. So, at age 18, she left for Switzerland to study enology. Here, she met German-native Jean-Paul Berger during their studies in 2012. They both came to Armenia, where Tatevik began renovating her family’s property in Vernashen–an old cheese factory built on vineyards with 70-year-old vines, and in 2018, she established Krya Wines.

The name, meaning “turtle,” is dear to Tatevik’s heart. According to her, ‘We needed a name that is simple and easy to pronounce. And in many cultures, the turtle is a symbol of prosperity, longevity, and wealth."

Tatevik and Jean-Paul’s philosophy is to employ sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices in their vineyards. This includes not using pesticides, insecticides, or chemicals. In addition, Tatevik uses lower than the acceptable amount of sulfur and copper. She is working on getting certified within a couple of years.

^{A bottle of Krya Sev Areni, 2019 | Photo Credit: Krya Wines}

In Fall 2021, Krya started with 800 bottles of dry red wine. Her hope is to increase her numbers every year with an expectation of 7,500 bottles in 2022. In addition, Tatevik confirmed that they will release white wine sometime in early September.

Her current 2019 vintage is made from her vineyard’s Areni grapes aged 12 months in Armenian barrels.

Krya Wines are available at In Vino, Noyan Tapan Wine Shop, and Accent Restaurant’s Vincent Wine Room.