YEREVAN, May 2. /ARKA/. Traditions and heritage of the Armenian winemaking are kept in the cellar of Areni Winery, which has a history of 26 years.

The smells of alcohol and moisture mingle in the factory cellar. The wines obtained from the Vayots Dzor grapes are stored and aged here. In the cellar, the wines are aged in pots, where they acquire a special flavor and aroma. Along with traditional winemaking the winery is also engaged in modern production. Now the old and the new are merging.

The partnership between Areni Winery and Acba Bank, which has developed into a friendship, has a long history. Before the pandemic, the year of 2019 was the hottest tourist year for the factory. Every day, 250-300 guests were introduced to the winery, its history and had a tasting of Armenian wines.

The winery's director is Tigran Simonyan, but it was founded by his parents. The Areni Winery is a family business.

"The oldest "products" of our winery date back to 1994. We have kept wines from every year since 1994. The clay pots are from 50 to 100 years old; we collected them in different regions of Armenia. Most of them are underground, where the wines are aged. It is a traditional Armenian method. We purchased new equipment thanks to our cooperation with Acba Bank, and we are producing wine in accordance with international standards, which is qualitatively different from what we used to make in the past. We started cooperating with Acba Bank back when it was called Armenian Peasant Mutual Aid Bank. Our new production hall is the latest result of our cooperation. We don't limit ourselves to that. We have borrowed equipment from Acba Leasing, our cooperation is multi-sectoral," says Tigran Simonyan, the director of Areni winery.

There is a small café next to the winery, where guests from different parts of the world leave handwritten notes.

See the video for details.

The bank is controlled by the Central Bank of Armenia. -0-