Discover the taste of Azerbaijani wine and dive deep into the wine making process with us. The tour will introduce you the unique characteristics of Azerbaijani grapes, while exploring the wine factory that uses unique technologies to present the international world red and white wines of Azerbaijan. You’ll also learn about the wine making history of Azerbaijan from prehistoric times through Soviet Union to the present time.

Wine Production in Azerbaijan

Wine is produced in several regions throughout Azerbaijan, mainly in Ganja, Shamakhi, Goygol, Khachmaz, Goychay, Shamkir, Tovuz, Absheron and other regions. During the Soviet Union, the wine industry flourished in Azerbaijan, which dates back to the second millennium BC. Azerbaijan long history of wine production in Azerbaijan was reopened during archeological excavations of certain ancient settlements all around the country. During the expeditions archaeologists discovered stone fermentations and storage vessels that included residue and grape seeds dating back to the second millennium BC. Historically Ganja and Barda have been wine centers of the country which mentioned by ancient Greek philosopher Herodotus and during the Islamic conquest of the area by Arabian scholars and travelers. In the 19th century the first German settlers from Württemberg established first German colony in Khanlar region, which was named as Helenendorf. Their wineries brought European quality into Azerbaijani wineries that existed before and soon after, other neighboring regions started acquisition of European standards.

In the 21st century, Ganja, Daghliq-Qarabakh and Nakhchivan have emerged as centers of wine production in Azerbaijan, whereas Baku has also become famous lately for its developing vineyards.

Fireland Vineyards

Fireland Vineyards is one of the country’s new emerging and young winemaking and vineyard companies which makes wines mainly in French styles. The company entered to the market in 2013 and has been a wine supplier for 5 years already. Everything necessary for wine production is purchased abroad – the whole system, tapestries, fertilizers, preparations, barrels, corks, bottles, labels, even. In a huge universal conveyor, the grape juice is poured over the vats, then it goes through filtration – the first filtration – to screen out the particles of the skin, and the second – at the pharmaceutical level, through the membranes 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 microns, which block access to any living organisms. The technology of processing white and red wine is different. In white, the most important thing is juice, and in red – the skin and the time of crushing, when the juice is mixed with the skin. Imagine, black wine can turn out white, and vice versa! The longer the wine is infused in the vat, the more tannins are extracted from the rind and the more intense the color. White grapes pass this procedure and are immediately sent to the press machine. Different types of wine are also obtained depending on the time of fermentation and the amount of sugar needed for fermentation. On average, the wine “lives” at the plant for 2 years – during this time it passes through all stages until full readiness for consumption. When the wine is almost ready, it is poured into barrels, where it is insisted in a special barn, the standard temperature in which is 15-16 degrees.

Wine is restored in oak barrels because it is a porous material through which air flows freely. And, the barrels are of different origin that used in Fireland Vineyards are – Slovenian, American and French, they give the same wine completely different properties. For example, the variety Shiraz, aged in an American barrel, gets a rich taste of spices, and in the French barrel this wine acquires a plum flavor, but Sauvignon Blanc cannot stand in a barrel, it insists on draft. The same barrels are used only two times, after they lose the ability to properly store wine.

Departure Point

Tour departs from your accommodation/preferred central city point. Please specify your address during checkout.