Food and wine tours in Armenia

Foodies looking for a culinary adventure will find lots to get excited about on a food tour of Armenia. With one of the world's oldest established cuisines, its gastronomical roots go deep. Sharing a culinary heritage with its nearest neighbors, including Turkey and Georgia, its dishes have their own distinctive flair—think tender grilled meats, fresh fish, and earthy stews.

What makes Armenia a great destination for foodies?

Armenian cuisine is all about freshness and big, bold flavors. While on a food tour of Armenia, you'll get to try local specialties such as dolma (stuffed vine leaves), khorovats (a kebab served at celebrations), ghapama (pumpkin stew), and much more. What's more, Armenia is a major regional producer of wine and brandy. Enjoy fine wine produced in the country's oldest winery in Aragatsotn Province—an ideal wine-producing region with a minimum altitude of 950 meters, hot sunny days, and cool nights—and sip local liquors in each region you visit.

The best gastronomy tours in Armenia

Discover unexpected flavors, centuries-old recipes, and traditional cooking methods on a food tour of Armenia. To whet your appetite, check out the following activities for a foodie odyssey. 

Dig into traditional Armenian food in Yerevan

Head to the capital, Yerevan, to sample dishes like harissa, a pearl barley and meat stew, and the famous lahmacun—a thin crust pizza topped with finely ground meat and vegetables.

Try the fresh fish of Lake Sevan

An enormous, high-altitude lake in eastern Armenia, Lake Sevan is the ideal place to try fresh Armenian fish dishes. Tour the region around the lake to indulge in fresh trout from the glassy waters and enjoy the local delicacy, crayfish kebabs. While here, you can even go on a guided fishing trip to catch your own dinner, then take it back to shore to prepare your own meal.

Savor Armenian wines

Opened in the 1930s, the Voskevaz Winery puts to good use the fertile lands of the Aragatsotn region. Ageing its wine in Armenian oak barrels, its exquisite finished product has distinctive flavors. Come for a tasting and learn all about wine producing in the region, which is believed to go back as far as 6,000 years.

Visit the Ararat Brandy factory

In Yerevan, visit the distillery of the famed Ararat brandy producer, the Yerevan Brandy Company, to discover its intriguing history and to taste two fine varieties of cognac, aged for 10 and 20 years.

Bake flatbread in Garni

Immerse yourself in Armenian culinary culture by visiting a local home to help with the lavash bread baking ceremony. After the bread is baked, you'll share a meal with your welcoming hosts and learn about life in this little-visited European country.

Tips for planning a food tour in Armenia

Plan your Armenia food tour for May through June or September through October, when the weather is pleasantly warm but not uncomfortably hot. The fall season is particularly exciting, with harvests happening across the country on farms and in wineries.