Often just a stop on the long drive south to Tatev Monastery, the village of Areni and the surrounding region is teeming with history, culture, and experiences that are often overlooked by traditional tour routes in Armenia.

Originally called Arpa, after the Arpa River that flows through it, the village was renamed Areni during Soviet times in honor of Armenia’s most celebrated grape, Areni Noir. It's in the Arpa River Valley, in fact, where it is believed that the ancestors of domestic grapes, vitis vinifera, come from. Armenia is home to over 400 indigenous grape varieties that scientists have only just begun studying. But you don’t need to be a scientist to understand how imbued grapes and winemaking are for local people in and around Areni.

Nearly every home in the village has grapevines growing outside or in their backyards, used to make wine at home for personal consumption. Leftover wine is filled into plastic bottles and sold on the sides of roads to travelers. But since independence from the Soviet Union, winemaking in Areni has taken a modern turn, with local and international winemakers introducing new, state-of-the-art technologies and methods to time-honored traditional ways.

But wine isn’t Areni’s only draw. The Arpa River Valley is a biodiversity hotspot. The nearby Arpa Protected Landscape is home to a whopping 885 plant, 39 mammal, and 190 bird species. The rough terrain here, characterized by semi-desert and steppe landscapes, makes it an ideal place for hiking. Along the region’s many hiking trails, many medieval monasteries and other even older historical sites await.

Today, Areni and the wider region is emerging as an exciting destination within Armenia. This guide will help you discover the region and all there is to experience here.