Winemaker's Table: Areni Cliffs

Just wow! This gives the word experience a whole new meaning. Despite my elevated expectations what I saw was at another level. Surreal — one of the memorable experiences of a lifetime, really. We get there and we are greeted by a friendly host family and quickly we jump into these cool 4x4s driven by expert rangers and we start ascending up a steep road. I'm like holy sh*t! As we climb, the scenery just becomes more and more beautiful. Finally we get to a meadow-like “campsite”. I’m struck with a magnificent panoramic view of the red rocks and hills around. THEN I notice the set up with a table, stems, hors devours — all against a backdrop that’s a heart drop. We approach the edge of the cliff where we would be sitting and we mingle with the chef, staff and of course a member of the winemaking family who is serving us today. "Are you kidding me" was my reaction! Little by little the experience unfolds and we are just blown away every step of the way. Here we are on top of a mountain, beautiful weather, sipping on micro production wine, nibbling on tasty gourmet food — all transported and set up JUST for us. The multi course meal kept on impressing. I won’t got into the details but each dish was unique and you can feel the love put into making them. Well, you can actually see it at a small distance where they stood cooking on the spot. Over the course of the couple of hours, I couldn’t but look in amazement at the view and Noravank down below. My eyes just could not get used to the view. There was also the wine and the meal but what really won the day above all was the warmth of the people and the love they put into the experience. And the icing on the cake? Seeing the wild goats through the telescope. After years of being hunted, they are now protected and thriving drawing for the first time on camera the illusive Caucasian leopard. We walked away not wanting to leave. I kept turning around to absorb the view and the experience for one last time. It is now all engraved in permanent memory in mind, never to leave me!

We partnered with 2492 Travel to plan our mother's 65th birthday with her closest circle of friends. It was the best decision to partner with this travel company! They have a professional team who work with you to plan every detail. We chose the Wild Food Adventures Experience. The tour included comfortable transportation from Yerevan to Vayots Dzor and back, with a stop in stunning Noravank. The tour included a beautiful lunch and drinks off one of the highest mountain peaks in the stunning Vayots Dzor region of Armenia. The food was exquisite, the view breathtaking, and the wine was delicious. We were cared for by a wonderful team of people throughout the day, and even more special was that the experience showcased local produce and was sourced by farmers, winemakers, and chefs from the region. To top it off, the company gifted our mother with a special wine bottle with her name and birthday wish printed (so very thoughtful!) Thank you to the 2492 Travel team for making our mother's birthday so special! We loved every minute of our experience and would recommend it to anyone visiting Armenia.

Life is all about the experiences you share, so I want to share this one with you. Being submerged in this crazy metropolitan life, sometimes I forget how vital it is to get out and re-energize yourself in nature. Experiencing the Wild Food Adventures through a special Winemaker’s Table dinner was amazing. We left Yerevan at around 11:30pm, got to the Areni Village at 1:00pm. Took a 30 min off-road drive to the Areni Cliffs in the Arpa Protected Landscape. Then after the amazingly delicious dinner (around 2 hours) we returned to Yerevan. The whole experience well-organized…and the view…ooh the view.