Semina Consulting: Revolutionizing the Way We View the Wine Industry in Armenia
By Maral Firkatian Wozniak
When we say that grape growers in Vayots Dzor will create their own brands of wine as a result of Farm-to-Bottle we mean quality wine that you would bring to your mother-in-law’s house for dinner, not bath tub gin that you grab on your way to a party where you don’t really know anyone but you still have to bring something.
How will we ensure that the quality is up to snuff? By making sure that the farmers receive the best possible education and guidance in the industry- and that means working with Semina Consulting.
Why do winemakers need consultants?
You might be tempted to think that because Armenia has been home to winemakers for thousands of years that anyone with a few vines and some bottles can open their own winery. This is not the case. It takes patience, attention to detail and persistence to grow quality grapes, produce quality wine, market it all and build a winery on top of everything else.
The team at Semina have cultivated their expertise from decades of working with wineries in Armenia and abroad and as such are in the perfect position to coach aspiring winemakers through the process of establishing their own wineries. They advise on every step of the process from planting vines to the design of the winery itself.
Wherever a winemaker is on their journey to produce fine wine, Semina can help guide them so that they are efficient, effective and help raise the standard for Armenian wines.
Semina’s mission is to “develop and promote the wine industry in Armenia”, and they are doing just that by working with people in the country who are passionate about wine and just need a little support to reach their potential and realize their dreams.
Services offered by Semina
Viticulture & Agronomy
Learning the best practices of viticulture is vital for anyone who wishes to make wine. Correction: for anyone who wishes to make quality wine. This distinction is important. One can make ‘wine’ (we will use this term loosely) simply by fermenting grapes. But creating really excellent wine, the type we can expect to see as a result of Farm-to-Bottle, requires a lot of work- and it begins with the grapes. Semina assists farmers in analyzing the soil, selecting the perfect location to plant vineyards, choosing the best varietals to grow, actually planting the vineyards, installing irrigation systems and maintaining the vines once they are established. The farmers chosen for Farm-to-Bottle will already have established vineyards with grape varietals Semina knows have the potential to produce quality wine, so they will focus on working with the farmers to improve upon their existing vineyards to produce the best grapes possible.
Enology and Wineries
Education is an important part of changing the way we view the wine industry in Armenia. Truly understanding the nuanced art that is vinification (winemaking) is what Semina does, and they offer services to impart this knowledge on others as well. While Semina will produce the farmers’ wine for them in their facilities, they will educate them on the process and the variables which affect the type of wine produced. This will ensure that the farmers are able to showcase their wines properly; speaking knowledgeably about their products will help establish them as trusted brands.
Sales and Marketing
A good wine, if poorly marketed, may never make it to your table- and that would be a great loss for winemaker and wine drinker alike. Semina works with wineries to brand and market their products well which includes carefully designing logos and packaging as well as coming up with a marketing strategy and sales and distribution plan. The farmers will work closely with Semina to design a brand that reflects their work and their vision for the future in addition to learning how to strategically market their wines to tourists that visit their vineyards as well as the local population of wine drinkers.
Track Record
If you have tasted Armenian wine, odds are good that you have encountered a product that has been made possible through Semina’s mentorship, without even realizing it.
Yacoubian-Hobbs, one of the newest wines on the Armenian market, has utilized Semina’s consulting services. One sip of their dry yet fruity red wine will tell you all you need to know about what can happen when you combine quality Areni grapes and expert advice on winemaking. Other brands of wine and even brandy have worked with Semina, including Kataro, a winery based in Artsakh.
These success stories speak volumes to the efficacy of Semina’s work- so we are confident that the farmers are in good hands.
Farm-to-Bottle
Within the scope of this project, the farmers will learn the ins and outs of the wine industry under the careful tutelage of Semina Consulting. Creating an excellent product, and marketing it well, are two crucial elements of Farm-to-Bottle. With Semina’s guidance in these areas, the farmers will be able to succeed in their own rite by establishing their own brands of wine and increasing their annual salary, but will also be successful in boosting tourism to the region of Vayots Dzor.
Because what is the point of having over 6,000 years of history around winemaking if we don’t get to share it with the world-and leave an impression?