Vayots Dzor, in southern Armenia, is a region of red canyons, ancient vineyards and spectacular monasteries. It is here that the oldest known traces of winemaking to date were discovered.<\/p>\n
Nestled in a narrow canyon with red-orange rock walls, Noravank Monastery dates back to the 13th century. Its facades, carved with crosses and khachkars, stand out beautifully against the surrounding cliffs.<\/p>\n
This exceptional archaeological site yielded the world’s oldest known winery, dated to around 4000 BCE, as well as the oldest leather shoe ever discovered, now preserved at the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.<\/p>\n
The birthplace of Armenian winemaking for millennia, the village of Areni is today the heart of a renowned wine route, where wineries such as Hin Areni showcase the country’s indigenous grape varieties.<\/p>\n
Further south, the spa town of Jermuk is known for its mineral water springs and its waterfall, the second highest in Armenia.<\/p>\n
Access: About 2.5 hours by road from Yerevan.
Best time to visit: April to October.
Not to miss: A wine tasting at a family winery in Areni.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vayots Dzor, in southern Armenia, is a region of red canyons, ancient vineyards and spectacular monasteries. It is here that the oldest known traces of winemaking to date were discovered. Noravank Monastery Nestled in a narrow canyon with red-orange rock walls, Noravank Monastery dates back to the 13th century. Its facades, carved with crosses and khachkars, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[123,89,125,122,121],"class_list":["post-319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classe","tag-areni","tag-armenian-wine","tag-jermuk","tag-noravank","tag-vayots-dzor"],"yoast_head":"\n