Artsakh winemaker revives business after losing entire distillery, vineyards in Hadrut in 2020 war

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 1, ARTSAKHPRESS. After losing an entire wine distillery and a vineyard comprising 300,000 grapevines in the villages of Mets Tagher and Togh in Hadrut region as a result of the 44-Day War, entrepreneur Samvel Grigoryan in Artsakh hasn’t given up his business. He is still running a winemaking business, albeit in a different location. Grigoryan told ARMENPRESS that he will continue creating vineyards as long as he is in Artsakh. Grigoryan says he’s been in the viticulture business for over 7 years and considers himself a professional. His new vineyard is located in Tsaghkashat, Artsakh. “We applied to the government of Artsakh, discussed and reached an agreement on restoring the vineyard. We chose the location, and they promised to support us in each step. We had opened 240 jobs in Hadrut region, we are among those who suffered major economic damages in the war,” the entrepreneur said. Total investments in Grigoryan’s new business will comprise 3,5 million dollars. The vineyard will have 200,000 grapevines and the distillery will have a capacity of 300,000 bottles of wine. “We planted the first column on September 1st of 2021. Today, we have 100,000 grapevines which we imported from France. We have five grape varieties, Pinot noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Syrah, which will also be used in making high quality wines,” Grigoryan said. The first harvesting will be done in 2024, and in the meantime the winery will be built. Grigoryan said that he will continue opening new vineyards as long as he lives in Artsakh. Karine Terteryan Photos from personal archive of Samvel Grigoryan