Niche Imports: Storica Wines’ Global Growth

When thinking about countries that make wine, many come to mind–Argentina, Italy, Spain, or France. But Storica Wines wants to add another country to that list: Armenia.

“Founder Zack Armen, during his visits to Armenia, noticed the year-to-year improvement in the quality of the wines,” says Katherine Bellando, head of marketing for Storica Wines. “Storica was formed to tell the story of this dynamic and growing wine industry to the US marketplace, which is the largest importer of wine in the world.”

^{Storica founder Zack Armen | Photo Credit: Storica Wines}

Armenia is home to an ancient winemaking tradition. Historically, the Areni-1 cave in Vayots Dzor is the oldest known winery facility found by archeologists. And since the collapse of the Soviet Union, newer generations of Armenians have sought to recapture their historical connection to wine. Besides historical tradition, Armenia is home to numerous indigenous grape varieties that grow in rich volcanic and limestone soils spread over beneficial high elevations. According to Storica, this is the story they want to tell.

“The most important aspect [of Armenian wine] is the combination of the rich heritage of tradition, grape varieties and terroirs, and the modern, forward-looking attitude of high-quality producers in operation in Armenia today,” said Bellando. “This combination helps create wines that are unique and full of character, yet commercially viable.”

Storica was founded in 2018 with the goal to put “Armenia” on every wine lover's list outside its native country. Currently distributed in Massachusetts, New York, California, New Jersey, and Illinois, Storica offers six of Armenia’s top wine brands: Keush, Zulal, Shofer, Oshin, Van Ardi, and Voskevaz. Plans for expansion are already in the works.

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“Storica grew from one state (MA) to 20 in a year. This has been a remarkably fast growth trajectory. Storica continues to expand its geographic footprint and plans to grow into more states in 2022,” says Bellando. “The most exciting prospect is seeing leading trade authorities–publications, personalities, and conferences that have national audiences–start to work with Storica to position Armenian wines in front of leading wine buyers, sommeliers, and marketplace influencers in the US.”