Az Granata... Azeri Wine Like You've Never Imagined

Editorials Zosimo Notes Zosimo November 25, 2024 0 Comments

Az Granata… Azeri Wine Like You’ve Never Imagined

Let me take you on an unforgettable journey

The charm of Azerbaijan is truly unique—nestled between the Caucasus mountains, surrounded by untouched nature, and home to stunning pomegranates, lush vineyards, and one-of-a-kind culinary specialties.

Its capital, Baku, welcomes you with a historic center steeped in history, yet with a touch of modernity and unmatched beauty. Walking through the pedestrian areas, you’re immersed in a world of diverse restaurants, confectioneries, bakeries, patisseries, and European-style shops.

But our focus is wine—immersing ourselves in the flavors of this land to discover what it has to offer. So here we go, on a long road trip to the Agsu district (named after the “Agsuchay” river flowing through the city).

The highways are modern and seemingly endless, with speed limits ensuring everyone’s safety. From the starting city to our destination, the scenery is desert-like—just dunes and limestone, with no sign of greenery, stretching endlessly.

Suddenly, just as the desert consumed our thoughts, we found ourselves in an oasis of lush greenery. We had arrived in Agsu district (located in the eastern part of the country, in the mountainous Shirvan economic region). Here, endless stretches of vineyards, both old and new, dominate the landscape, while 350 hectares of pomegranate orchards frame a stunning panorama of rolling green hills.

We arrived in the town of Agsu and found ourselves at the AZGranata complex—an enormous, well-organized, and spotless facility covering 14 hectares. It had a magical feel to it.

The 414 hectares of vineyards grow a variety of both local and international grape varieties, including Sultanina, Prima, Ora, Kardinal, Alfons Lavalier, Centenial, Crimson, Thompson, Red Globe, Madrasa, Bayanshira, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Muscat, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Shiraz, Glera, and Chardonnay.

I was welcomed by the winery’s enologist, my friend Victor Bankov, who had invited me countless times to visit this winery. Victor is a man of boundless technical expertise, likely because he knows every secret of this place after 22 years here.

As we headed toward the main offices, I realized just how massive this wine complex is. Waiting for me was the production manager, Yusif Lazgiyev, whom I met a few years ago at a conference and have since become friends with. We’ve exchanged many thoughts on wine production, particularly in the former Soviet countries. I couldn’t shake the feeling of just how unique this complex is—modern, technologically advanced offices, ultra-modern laboratories for enological analysis, and a production line that extends from wine to spirits, as well as a wide array of fruit juices and other products.

Everything operates within a circular economy where every component is utilized, either directly in production or for generating energy for the winery itself.

Being in Victor’s hands felt like it was going to be a casual tour, a familiar process—but I was wrong. It was the start of an enological paradise.

The first room we entered revealed rows upon rows of barrels, meticulously organized, seemingly endless. Each type of wine was resting here to reach its best state and eventually please every palate.

The second room—and after this point, it became impossible to keep count—was filled with barrels, tuns, and tronconic vats, each one offering different levels of toasting, different wines, and different years of aging. Each tasting was a new world, a discovery of local and international grapes that complemented each other, giving my palate a glimpse of truly great winemaking.

The third, the fourth, the fifth room… We finally moved on to the production area—state-of-the-art presses, tank after tank, from small-batch to large-scale winemaking—a continuous accumulation of must. The current capacity is 2 million liters.

Every batch, meticulously cataloged, analyzed by the lab, classified, and expertly managed, culminates in musts ready for fermentation.

It was a whirlwind of people moving with precision, like pieces in a giant Lego set. And if it wasn’t clear already, cleanliness here was borderline obsessive—nothing left to chance.

Victor, once again, was in his element. Tank after tank, valve after valve, he led me to taste from hundreds of tanks—from fermenting wine to ready-to-bottle batches. It was an overwhelming wave of sensations, different aging processes, all showcasing Victor’s firm and confident hand in enology.

A bottling line of 6,000 wine bottles per hour, alongside two lines for 8,000 one-liter Tetra Pak pieces, and 9,000 200-ml packs for juices—it all came together in a vision of production excellence, like a glimpse of paradise.

The next rooms were reserved for the aging of cognac, whiskey, grappa, and, of course, vodka, all undergoing long processes over several years, resting peacefully in oak barrels.

Yusif then took us to the fruit-based beverage production labs—a plant capable of processing 20 tons of fruit per hour—pears, apples, plums, and the omnipresent pomegranate, used to make both wine and various juices. My attention was caught by a fizzy pear drink—the tasting experience was something truly unique, fresh, and enjoyable, with great drinkability and excellent quality.

The room dedicated to the distillation of alcohol was utterly fascinating—I didn’t want to leave. The aroma of distillation was intoxicating, the tasting experience captivating, and the memory of it will forever remain.