YEREVAN, October 4. /AРКА/. On October 5, the village of Areni in Armenia's Vayots Dzor province will host the Areni Wine Festival. The general sponsor of the traditional event is ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK.

The Bank said in a news release today that the festival is aimed at developing wine tourism in Armenia and ensuring the country's recognition as one of the oldest wine cradles. The festival will feature the wines and national dishes prepared by the residents of Areni village and the neighboring communities. Also, about a hundred varieties of wines will be presented by the winery companies.

“The general sponsor of the event is the ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. The Bank has been supporting the real sector of the economy for over a quarter of a century, and all the events, which foster the development of that sector have always been in our focus. The Areni Wine Festival is one of these important events because it promotes the development of two important sectors. One is the local production - in this case the winemaking, and the second is tourism, which is a priority for both our country and our bank," said Artyom Ghazaryan, head of ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK's Marketing Communications Department.

Applications to participate in the Areni Wine Festival have also been received from abroad. Tourists even from such countries as the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia are expected to attend the festival.

“The Areni Wine Festival has been held for the 11th year already. It is a strong impetus not only for tourism but also for winemaking. This year too, more than 20 winemaking companies will be showcasing their products at the festival and more than 100 pavilions will be presenting rural wines. We have had this year 3 wine events already and the Areni Wine Festival is the 4th. ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK was our partner at the Yerevan Wine Days and Voskehat Wine Festival, and is now the General Partner of the Areni Wine Festival,” said Nune Manukyan, the director of the Areni Festival Foundation.
Thanks to the festival, Areni is now known in the international and domestic tourism market as a winemaking cradle and an attractive tourist destination. The event will start in Areni village of Vayots Dzor province at 13:00.

ACBA was established in 1995 as part of EU’s TACIS program. As a result of a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation between ACBA Bank and the French Credit Agricole the latter became the biggest shareholder of ACBA in 2006, September. ACBA was restructured, becoming a closed joint stock company and was renamed ACBA CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. -0---