Armenia’s first commercial Pinot Noir wins gold in Brussels

Alexandrea Winery’s 2024 Pinot Noir earned a Gold Medal and its 2024 Riesling won Silver at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026. The results put a spotlight on Armenia’s emerging cool-climate wine regions and the winery’s first commercial Pinot Noir harvest.

Why it matters: - Alexandrea Winery’s Gold Medal for Pinot Noir 2024 marks a milestone for Armenia’s wine sector because the wine is the country’s first commercially produced 100% Pinot Noir. - The double recognition in Brussels gives international validation to a young Armenian winery and its high-altitude vineyard program. - The awards could help position Armenia as a source of serious cool-climate wines, not just a niche producer.

What happened: - Alexandrea Winery won a Gold Medal for Pinot Noir 2024 and a Silver Medal for Riesling 2024 at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026. - The competition is one of the world’s major wine contests and evaluates more than 9,000 wines each year. - The results were announced after judging in Brussels. - Founder Adam Kablanian called the gold medal a confirmation of what the land was capable of after years of preparation.

The details: - Alexandrea Winery was founded in 2017 by Adam A. Kablanian, an Armenian-American entrepreneur and former technology executive. - The winery manages about 70 hectares across three vineyard sites in Armenia. - Its flagship Proshyan vineyard sits at 1,315 meters in the Kotayk region. - The Proshyan site has dense volcanic gravel more than 70 centimeters deep, and Japanese rock-cutting machinery was used to prepare the land for planting. - The award-winning Pinot Noir 2024 comes from three plots within Proshyan. - Chief Winemaker Jeff Ritchey, a 31-year veteran winemaker from California, designed the blend to balance structure, fruit and forest-floor earthiness. - The Pinot Noir was aged for 10 months in barrel with 25% new French oak. - The wine is both Armenia’s first commercial Pinot Noir and the first harvest from those specific plots. - Ritchey described the result as “pretty remarkable for a first crop off a vineyard.” - The Riesling 2024 reflects Kablanian’s decision to plant the variety after five years working in Germany and developing an appreciation for it. - Ritchey was initially skeptical that Riesling would perform at altitude in Armenia. - The Riesling award supports the view that Proshyan’s altitude, temperature swings and soil can produce world-class cool-climate white wines.

Between the lines: - The Pinot Noir result suggests the winery’s most difficult early work — clearing volcanic rock and waiting for the first viable crop — has turned into a marketable proof point. - The Riesling medal adds a second data point that the site can support more than one premium cool-climate grape, which could broaden the winery’s future portfolio. - Kablanian’s background in technology and long-term land development appears to be part of Alexandrea Winery’s identity: patient capital, experimentation and a focus on site selection.

What’s next: - Alexandrea Winery is likely to use the Brussels medals as evidence that its vineyards can compete internationally. - The Proshyan vineyard’s performance may shape future plantings and more releases from the estate. - Continued recognition from global competitions could help build demand for Armenian wines and attract more attention to the country’s wine regions.

The bottom line: - Alexandrea Winery’s first commercial Pinot Noir did more than make history in Armenia. It also earned a global benchmark for the country’s wine ambitions.