Areni Wine Art" guesthouse located in Areni Community, Vayots Dzor Region, has been operating for over 10 years. The guesthouse was founded by David Simonian. Last year, the guesthouse achieved significant milestones by becoming a beneficiary of "Living Landscapes of Armenia for Market Development" (LILA) project; it has fully transitioned to solar energy use, been upgraded, and become a more comfortable corner for wine lovers.
Participation in this project has not only improved the conditions of the guesthouse but has also served as an impetus for community development. "As part of the project, we received solar panels with a capacity of 40 kilowatts. With this support, we have already managed to not only eliminate energy costs but also create new jobs," David Simonyan noted.
Since its inception, Areni Wine Art Guesthouse has not only been a hotel service facility, but also a unique wine production center. David Simonyan told us that the guesthouse has its own wine production of about 2,000 bottles per year. “We produce natural wines, that is, we do not mix any artificial additives. We make wine from Areni grapes and Voskehat for white wine. We don't have our own gardens, and we probably don't need them. I think it's better to buy grapes from the villagers. We host wine tastings, lunches, dinners for guests in our guesthouse,” he said.
David has also developed the idea of a wine incubator at his guesthouse. This allows visitors to make their own wine independently.
"Our guests who want to make their own wine can come to us and produce wine in small quantities, starting from a few hundred bottles. We fully support them, from selecting the grapes to the wine-making process. We buy the grapes from local farmers. We have many winemaker friends who work with us during the harvest season. Also, various winemakers from both abroad and Armenia live in our guesthouse and provide consulting support," said David Simonian and added, "When a rural business receives any support, by inertia, the development of his business already affects the community. You are able to produce more products, purchase more products, all of that is interconnected. Support for any project is a great incentive for the development of the community, for the development of businesses operating in the communities, if that support is targeted correctly. In parallel with that support, I have already invested in the wine production sector, we have introduced new ideas into wine production."
David Simonyan also highlighted the potential for the development of wine tourism in Armenia. "We have foreign tourists, especially French and Italians, who show great interest in our wines and wine culture. The wine tourism sector in Armenia has great potential, it is only necessary to focus on that direction more.”
Together with other LILA project beneficiaries, David Simonyan visited Moldova and got acquainted with the local winemaking culture and production features. “Such experience and communication with other countries and their specialists are very important for developing the wine tourism sector of our country,” he emphasized.
"The Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia" (LILA) project is funded by the Swiss government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and is implemented by the Caucasus and Armenia offices of WWF in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.
April 09, 2025 at 12:37