A vintage blend of the Caucasus

Grapes from vineyards in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia are going to be blended together to create a perfect vintage of Caucasian wine that will be the latest effort by a group of businessmen from across the Caucasus.

The initiative comes only a few months after the same businessmen produced the first Caucasian cheese under a joint brand by Georgia, Turkey and Armenia.

The Center for non-Traditional Methods for Conflict Resolution, or CCPNTCRM, and its founding president, Artush Mkrtchyan, were the brains behind the cheese, which went on sale this May with labels printed in Turkish, Armenian and Georgian.

Mkrtchyan spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review about his projects for the near future.

The effort dubbed "cheese diplomacy" kicked off several actions that significantly boosted the bilateral contact between the two nations.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül going to tna Armenian capital to watch the football match between Turkish and Armenian national teams Sept. 6 and the Armenian Foreign Minister coming this week to attend the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, or BSEC, meeting were only the most public displays of the recent efforts to improve the relations between the two neighboring countries.

Gül’s visit may have been the culmination of years of work by diplomats, but some may note that it came only a few months after the Caucasian cheese was released onto the market, which might reflect the improving cultural and commercial ties over the past few years, with businessmen and artists taking the lead.

Entrepreneurs, for whom time is money, cannot afford long delays in improving official ties, and partners from Georgia, Armenia and Turkey have decided not to wait.

Immediately after the Caucasian cheese started to appear on market shelves, Mkrtchyan begun to work on the production of a vintage of wine, which does not have a name yet. Using grapes from vineyards of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia, he brought together the tastes of the Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani in the same bottle. The wine will be on the market in the next few months with a label that will read in three languages.

Mkrtchyan said he found his inspiration for the wine in the Bible. "God’s word is in the grape and the wine. I placed my heart on the side of friendship and peace," he said.

Mkrtchyan is already working on a dessert composed of fruits from the countries of the Caucasian for his next project after the wine is on the market.