Grape Guide
Voskehat
WhiteVoskehat is Armenia's leading white wine grape, an old local variety from the Ashtarak area west of Yerevan, with thin-skinned berries that ripen to high sugar. It makes dry still whites, traditional-method sparkling wine and the sweet oxidative fortified styles that long defined Armenian white wine, and it is also grown in neighbouring Nakhchivan.
Key characteristics
- Old Armenian variety, probably from the Ashtarak district
- Buds from early to mid season; fruit matures in the middle to later part of the season
- Highly productive, with tightly packed clusters of berries that have thin skins
- Reaches high sugar levels easily
- Very susceptible to powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis and grape moths
Typical flavors
Major regions
Aragatsotn · Armavir · Ararat · Vayots Dzor · Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan)
Also known as
Voskeat · Khardji (Armenia · original name) · Kharji (Nakhchivan) · Hardzhi · Kanacicheni · Katviacik · Pishik Gezi · Pscigi · Xardji
Voskehat (the name is usually translated as golden seed) is the white variety most closely identified with Armenia. It is grown across the Ararat plain and the volcanic uplands, with Aragatsotn, Armavir and Ararat the usual strongholds and Vayots Dzor an important source of modern dry wines. The berries are thin-skinned and can accumulate a great deal of sugar, which suited the sweet and fortified wines that dominated its history, but producers now lean on altitude to keep acidity and freshness in dry versions.
In the glass, dry examples are medium to full in body, with stone fruit, white flowers and a mineral finish. The same fruit is used for traditional-method sparkling wine and for Madeira- and sherry-style wines. Hectarage for the variety is not separately published, but it is widely described as the most planted native white in Armenia.
Voskehat is an old variety believed to originate in the Ashtarak district of western Armenia, where the vines display considerable morphological diversity, a sign of long cultivation. Its first name was Khardji (also Kharji); it was later renamed for Voskehat, a village lying just to the west of Yerevan. The renaming was part of a 1947 campaign in which the Armenian Academy of Sciences swapped 76 native names for Armenian ones, and the older names live on as synonyms. Since several unrelated Armenian varieties also bear the name Khardji (among them Sev Khardji and Khatun Khardji), the bare synonym is ambiguous.
DNA studies of the Armenian germplasm collection have not pinned down both parents. Microsatellite analysis revealed a first-degree relationship (parent-offspring or full siblings) between Voskehat and Hadisi, which confirmed earlier French findings; Garan Dmak is related to Hadisi in the same way. Parentage studies of this type cannot establish which of the pair is the parent, and no offspring of Voskehat has been reported. In cluster analysis it groups with other old autochthonous Armenian varieties, including Garan Dmak, Hastakot, Varandeni and Chghleni.
Under the Soviet system the grape was reportedly sent mostly to brandy distillation and sweet wine, and the return to dry white winemaking dates from the early 2000s. The variety also made its way to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave, where it goes by Kharji.
Voskehat breaks bud early to mid season and ripens in the middle to later part of the season, so a long, dry autumn is helpful. It is very productive, bearing tightly packed clusters of berries with thin skins that readily reach high sugar levels. Those thin skins leave it prone to botrytis bunch rot, and it is very susceptible to powdery mildew, downy mildew and grape moths, so control of vigour and yield matters in the wetter pockets. Many Armenian vineyards sit between 600 and 1,800 metres on volcanic soils, and vines are often ungrafted; makers of premium dry wine tend to favour higher, cooler sites to retain acidity and avoid overripeness.
Fortified Voskehat is the historic style. Ochakan, made in imitation of Madeira, is the best known, and the grape's capacity to build sugar suited sherry-like oxidative wines in Armenia and Nakhchivan. Dry versions are typically medium to full in body, with stone fruit and floral notes, whereas the sweet fortified wines are richer and intentionally oxidative. Today dry table wine is the main focus for quality producers. Ginekar makes a dry version, while a semi-sweet one comes from Ijevan Wine Factory; Zulal, working with Vayots Dzor fruit grown up to about 1,500 metres, produces a dry, minimally handled white in stainless steel. Keush makes traditional-method sparkling wine from high-altitude fruit, blending Voskehat with Khatouni (Khatun Kharji).
Where it grows
Aragatsotn
Regarded as the variety's home, with Ashtarak at its centre; volcanic soils dominate, and wineries such as Van Ardi work here.
Armavir
The largest vineyard province, with Ejmiatsin and Armavir town among the places where the grape is most prominent.
Ararat
One of the main areas where the variety is found, on the plain below the mountain that gives the province its name.
Vayots Dzor
High-elevation vineyards, some up to about 1,500 metres, supply fruit for dry wine; Zulal is among the producers working with this source.
Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan)
Grown as Kharji and used for sherry- and Madeira-style wines.