Where wine was invented, and never industrialised
The oldest known winery on earth is a cave in Armenia, and it is 6,100 years old. What makes the country interesting to drink in now, though, is not the archaeology — it is that the interruption of the Soviet century left hundreds of indigenous grape varieties in village plots, and a generation of winemakers who have spent the last fifteen years working out what to do with them. Six days is enough to taste that properly.
You spend two days in Yerevan on the food itself — the spice and dried-fruit halls of the GUM market, the brandy cellars, and a full afternoon cooking with an Armenian family, which is the fastest way anyone ever learns why the food tastes the way it does. Then two days in Vayots Dzor, based in Areni village, working through small cellars where the winemaker pours and there is no tasting room, only a yard, a table and a hose. A final day covers the newer Aragatsotn estates on the slopes below Aragats.
This is a small-group trip, capped at eight, in a private vehicle with a guide who knows the growers personally — which is what gets you into the cellars that have no sign on the road. Lunches are long, most of the meals are included, and nobody will hurry you back into the van.
Is this trip right for you?
You’ll love it if
- You want to drink where winemaking began and meet the people doing it now
- Indigenous grapes you have never heard of sound like the point, not a risk
- An afternoon cooking with a family appeals more than another monastery
- Long courtyard lunches under a vine are your idea of a well-spent day
Worth knowing first
- September and October are harvest and by far the best weeks — they book out first
- Village cellars are working farmyards, not tasting rooms with a gift shop
- There is a great deal of eating and drinking; two days are genuinely long at the table
Your 6-day itinerary
Hand-picked hotels, not a room-count
Or a closely comparable property of the same standard — we confirm the exact hotels in writing before you pay anything, and we’ll happily swap in a favourite of yours or upgrade any night on request.
What’s included
- 5 nights — 3 in a 4★ Yerevan hotel, 2 in an Areni wine guesthouse
- Daily breakfast, 4 lunches & 5 dinners
- All wine tastings and cellar visits (6 producers)
- Cooking afternoon with an Armenian family
- Ararat brandy factory tour & vertical tasting
- Private air-conditioned vehicle & licensed guide
- All entrance fees, airport pick-up & drop-off
Not included
- International flights to/from Yerevan
- Lunches & some dinners
- Travel insurance (required)
- Personal expenses & souvenirs
- Tips for your guide & driver
Departs the day you choose
We don’t herd you onto someone else’s calendar. Every itinerary on this page runs as a private departure on the dates that suit you — your own guide, your own vehicle, your own pace. Tell us roughly when you’d like to travel and we’ll confirm availability, hotels and a firm price, usually the same day.
Armenia is a genuine four-season destination. The months below show when each part of this route is at its best — but the trip runs year-round, and winter has a quiet beauty of its own.
Travelling solo, as two, or as a family
Very comfortable alone. You’re with an Armenian guide the whole way rather than adrift in a crowd, meals are shared and sociable, and we can pair you with another solo traveller to avoid the single supplement where the dates line up.
This is the trip most couples book. Private vehicle, no fixed group to keep pace with, and enough unscheduled afternoons that you’re not permanently in each other’s itinerary. Say the word and we’ll arrange a quiet anniversary dinner or a room with the Ararat view.
Genuinely family-friendly. Drives are short, the sites reward curiosity rather than patience, and the lavash baking and cable car are usually the parts children talk about afterwards. Suitable from around age 12; car seats provided free.
Very manageable. Almost everything is a short, level walk from the vehicle, the pace is unhurried, and there is no early-morning marching. Cathedral and monastery steps are the main effort, and there is always somewhere to sit.
At the table
Come and drink where wine was invented
Message us on WhatsApp for availability and a no-obligation quote — most travellers hear back within the hour.