Tushpa Wine Cellar

"In the early 90s, when we just started building the winery, people thought we were crazy. And I always told them that the winery would be  successful and a popular tourist destination in the future," says Mihran, owner of Tushpa Wine Cellar. Indeed, when you come to the winery of Mihran and his family, you immediately feel the rich history of this place and a lot of work done with special care and love.

Migran Manaseryan is a winemaker and former director of one of the ARARAT wine factories. He has been engaged in winemaking for almost 40 years, and in 1992 he founded the Tushpa Wine Cellar winery in the Ararat Valley, located 35 kilometers from Yerevan. This is a family business, in which Mihran is assisted by his wife Liana and children Abraham, Karlen, and Ani.

The Tushpa Wine Cellar winery has a 30-year history. This place is about cohesion,  warm atmosphere and pride in your roots. The name of the winery is a reference to the historical name of the city of Van in Western Armenia. Tushpa was the capital of the Kingdom of Urartu until the VI century BC. Mihran’s ancestors are from Van,  and he himself is the third winemaker in the family, like his father and grandfather before him.

Often the Manaseryan family got tired, disappointed, they even wanted to give up and stop developing the business at some point. The Manaseryans even thought about selling the land in the early 2000s. The person who wanted to buy the place, however, was deeply impressed by the family. He liked the atmosphere so much that he decided to invest in the winery instead of buying out the land. According to Liana and Mihran, it was that moment of testing their strength that gave them a second wind.

The Manaseryan family does not seek to produce a lot of wine for export, although they supply wine to Europe and the USA. There is a small warehouse in Belgium, from where delivery is carried out across the continent. Making wine for them is an occupation for the soul. They host tourists not because it's profitable, but solely for the emotions that the meetings create. The Manaseryans like to listen to opinions, observe different people and have warm, inspiring conversations with them. Therefore, the production of wine should go from the bottom of your heart, because the taste of the product is influenced by the mood of the producers.

Mihran and Liana shared with us a story that revealed this important detail to them. Once, when Mihran was away on a business trip, a dispute broke out between  employees, and the atmosphere in the team for very tense for some time during the wine production.However, no one talked about it. At the same time, everyone was working on karas (clay jugs, which have long been used in Armenia for fermentation and storage of wine). During the sampling of that wine, Mihran was seized with an unpleasant feeling, after which he asked if something negative had happened. He immediately felt that the wine was made in a bad mood. The story was both shocking and delightful, as it revealed to us too that wine is not only a delicious drink, but a good mood indicator as well!

The winemakers told us another interesting story: during the Pope's visit to Khor Virap, Mihran Manaseryan was there, among other winemakers. It so happened that the Pope really liked his wine. A short conversation with the Pope ensued, after which Mihran presented him with 2 bottles of Tushpa. And some time later, a letter from the Pope came to the winery, where he blessed Mihran Manaseryan and thanked his family for their excellent work. And such events, according to Liana and Mihran, place even more responsibility on them for the product they make. They are inspired by this. "When people like our wine, we feel happy, our eyes are shining. This is not some cold business. We conduct it with warmth and sincerity,, because there can be no other way," Liana sums up. The warm family atmosphere of the winery that’s decorated in traditional Armenian style, delicious wine, and a sea of pleasant impressions – all this awaits you at the TUSHPA Wine Cellar in the village of Taperakan, Ararat region!