Azerbaijani wine

Vineyards of Azerbaijan

Wine region
Country	Azerbaijan
Sub-regions	Kur-Araz Lowland Caucasus Mountains
Growing season	Cold dry, rainy or snowy winters Warm, dry, sunny summers
Climate region	Continental
Heat units	Region III, IV, V
Precipitation (annual average)	250mm-600 mm
Total area	86,600 km2 (33,000 sq mi)
Size of planted vineyards	6,062 km2 (2,000 sq mi) Ranked 6th
Varietals produced	Vitis vinifera, Pinot noir, Rkatsiteli, Pinot blanc, Aligoté, Madrasa
Wine produced	7,200 tons (2007)

Azerbaijani wine is produced in several regions throughout Azerbaijan. Before 20th century communist rule, the region which makes up modern-day Azerbaijan had produced wine since the second millennium BC.^[1] The territory of modern-day Azerbaijan has a long history of wine production, that was rediscovered at archaeological digs of settlements in Kültəpə, Qarabağlar^[2] and Galajig where archaeologists discovered stone fermentation and storage vessels that included residue and grape seeds dating back to the second millennium BC. The Ancient Greeks were well aware of wine production in the area by at least the 7th century BC according to Herodotus. Later Strabo would comment in the 1st century BC about a wine known as Albania from the region. Arabic historians and geographers—most notably Abu'l-Fida, Al-Masudi, Ibn Hawqal and Al-Muqaddasi - described the extensive viticulture around Ganja and Barda that was taking place even after Islamic conquest of the area.^[1]

Since the fall of Communism and the restoration of Azerbaijani independence, ardent attempts have been made to revive and modernize the Azerbaijani wine industry. Today, vineyards are found in the foothills of Caucasus Mountains as well and the Kur-Araz lowlands near the Kura River. In the 21st century, Ganja, Nakhchivan, and the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh controlled by the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh have emerged as centers of wine production in the region. Among the grape varieties used to produce Azerbaijani wine include Pinot noir, Rkatsiteli, Pinot blanc, Aligote, Matrassa, Podarok Magaracha, Pervenets Magaracha, Ranni Magaracha, Doina, Viorica and Kishmish Moldavski.^[1] Local grape varieties indigenous to Azerbaijan include White Shani, Derbendi, Nail, Bayanshire, Gamashara, Ganja Pink, Bendi, Madrasa, Black Shani, Arna-Grna, Zeynabi, Misgali, Khindogni, Agdam Kechiemdzhei, Tebrizi, and Marandi.^[2]