Wine, Legacy, and Love: The Story Behind Zara Winery and Armenia’s Boutique Wine Renaissance

Sometimes life is about timing. Just as I was inquiring about the wine of an Armenian wine maker, I received an email from a gentleman thanking me for the inquiry, and that he happens to be in LA...and would love to sit for a podcast. I was floored.

When Vahagn sat down and began to speak, I knew we would hit it off. He had insight and passion. And it turns out that the winemaker, Zara Muradyan is his wife. What are the odds..lol.

Oxford educated with a grounded outlook on wine, we hit it off and the conversation could have gone on for hours.

Vahagn Voskanyan wants you to remember his name—not for its tricky spelling, but for the remarkable story behind every bottle he touches. You will come away with an entirely fresh appreciation for what it means to make wine in Armenia, where every sip is less about chasing trends and more about channeling centuries of heritage, family resilience, and pure emotion into the glass. As Vahagnn candidly shares, wine is a process—not just a result—and through his partnership with his trailblazing wife, Zara, he’s helping to reignite an Armenian industry that only recently emerged from decades of obscurity. Listeners will discover how Zara’s relentless pursuit of innovation, from rewriting Armenia’s winemaking curriculum to engineering a new kind of Armenian vermouth, is matched only by Vahagnn’s drive to connect their wines to the hearts of drinkers across the world. You’ll learn the hard truths and soft skills of building a boutique winery where “less is more” and the story matters as much as the science. Through tales of global journeys, emotional tastings, and lessons drawn from both Soviet-era and millennia-old winemaking traditions, you’ll gain insight into the unique character of Armenian grapes, the challenge of defining terroir when history itself is being rewritten, and the profound belief that wine should spark conversation, curiosity, and connection. Whether it’s reflecting on the emotion of a perfectly balanced wine, discussing how innovation meets tradition, or embracing the “life of wine” over the fleeting allure of lifestyle, Vahagnn’s wisdom and humility shine through. Expect to finish the episode not just wanting to taste their story, but also to rethink what, and who, really fills the bottle in front of you.

1. Zara Muradian Winery (referred to as "Zara Winery" / "Zara Muradian Winery"):

   • No website was provided in the transcript. If you'd like to find more, you may try searching for "Zara Muradian Winery Armenia" or similar terms online.

2. White Rabbit Family (a group of high-end restaurants in Russia):

   • Website: https://whiterabbitfamily.com/en/

3. California State University, Fresno – Viticulture & Enology Research Center:

   • Main university site: https://www.fresnostate.edu/

   • Viticulture & Enology Center: https://jcast.fresnostate.edu/ve/index.html

4. Geisenheim University (Germany)

   • Website: https://www.hs-geisenheim.de/

5. James Suckling (wine critic and tasting events):

   • Website: https://www.jamessuckling.com/

6. CivilNet (mentioned as a studio/production site in Armenia)

   • Website: https://www.civilnet.am/

 

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