A wine lover in Azerbaijan

Wow! What a country! At the invitation of the Savalan winery, I was given the opportunity to explore Azerbaijan. I added a week and traveled across the entire country in a 4x4 (only the "United Nations" stickers were missing). It was an unforgettable experience: a stunningly diverse landscape, a country where oil money has led to a major modernization drive over the past 10-15 years, a country on the border between Europe and Asia with influences from the Soviet era, a country where women in burqas stand in line alongside men in yarmulkes, and above all: a country where, as a Western tourist, you stand out and receive a very warm welcome. I'm full of stories, and although this is a wine blog, I can't help but tell you about the country itself.

The oldest wine country

Anyone who thought that winemaking was invented in France or Italy, or perhaps by the ancient Greeks, is mistaken. Viticulture originated at the foot of the Caucasus in what was then Mesopotamia and is now Azerbaijan and Georgia The tradition of viticulture is therefore very old, but you can imagine that a great deal has happened in those 8,000 years. For example, the Soviet Union, with its emphasis on quantity production, had no positive effect on quality wine. In 1991, Azerbaijan gained independence, and especially since the opening of the oil pipeline between Baku, Tbilisi, and Turkey in 2006, prosperity has increased dramatically. Baku has rapidly become a city at least as modern as Rotterdam, and agricultural attention has returned to quality viticulture.

Savalan

If you understand even a little bit of that history, you'll also understand why there are no centuries-old wineries in Azerbaijan. Viticulture is experiencing a revival and is therefore relatively young. Savalan is Azerbaijan's premier quality winery and, incidentally, the only Azerbaijani winery with an export license to Europe. Of the 22 wineries in Azerbaijan, about 9 produce truly high-quality wines, including Savalan. At the invitation of that winery (and after a suggestion from Wijnhandel Peeters, for which thanks), I was allowed to visit.

The vineyards are situated at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains at an altitude of about 400 meters. When I was there, in late July, the temperature was around 35 degrees Celsius, which is normal for summer. However, in the Savalan Valley, where the vineyards are located (and after which the winery is named), there's often a brisk breeze, which provides some cooling. Pleasant for us and for the grapes.

Savalan produces no fewer than 23 different wines (a total of around a million bottles annually) from a wide variety of grape varieties, but almost all of them are internationally recognized. In a way, I found this a shame, because it's so much fun to discover new varieties. Fortunately, I've had great success with other houses. The advantage of more familiar varieties is that you can compare them with other wines from the same variety you might have in mind.

A few great tips:

• Savalan Sauvignon Blanc : A superbly styled Sauvignon Blanc with a lovely, long finish. Its grassiness is a perfect balance between the Loire Valley and New Zealand.
• Savalan Viognier : clearly a viognier, but wonderfully fresh. No aromas of a flower shop, but of blossoms amidst swaying grass. Fresh tropical fruit. Now on tap at Walsjérôt.
• Savalan Elisa Winemaker Reserve : a delightful blend of Chardonnay, Traminer, and yellow and white Moscato. Aged in oak, it boasts aromas of pear, peach, and a hint of blossom.
• Savalan Alicante Bouschet : ripe red berries, pleasantly spicy. Serve it slightly chilled to emphasize the freshness alongside the ripeness. Now on tap at Walsjérôt.
• Savalan limited release : a unique blend of Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, and Syrah in equal parts. Like the Alicante Bouschet above? Then try this one. Even more complexity, even more pleasure. Available at Wine merchant Peeters .

The nicest wine bar

Okay, there might not be as many wine bars in Azerbaijan as in the Netherlands, but the nicest wine bar in Azerbaijan is without a doubt Kefli, in the capital, Baku. The bar, owned by two young guys who are incredibly curious about everything wine-related, is located in the center of Baku, and as a simple tourist in shorts, you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. way underdressed among all the trendy Azerbaijanis. More importantly: they only serve Azerbaijani wine, much of it by the glass. It's the perfect place to sample a lot. I went four times and therefore played their by-the-glass menu to the fullest. Any tips?

• Yarimada rkatsiteli : as if the Jura suddenly landed in Azerbaijan. Hints of flor, nutty, golden yellow.
• Chabiant Bayan Shira : Bayan Shira is the grape that produces a perfectly balanced white wine. Fresh with notes of citrus and apple, yet beautifully rounded with a pleasant hazelnut note.

Meysari Winery

Navigating in Azerbaijan is tricky. The biggest tourist hotspots, according to the Lonely Planet, are actually small, and tourists are scarce. The same goes for the signage. By puzzling over mile markers and a compass, and thanks to our indestructible car that doesn't need roads, and the patience to keep searching, we managed to find a lot of sights on our list. I'm still not entirely sure whether we found the tasting room at Meysari Winery or ended up in a restaurant with many Meysari wines.

Anyway, a tasting of all six wines turned out to be impossible, but then I saw all six on the menu. To the waiter's surprise, I simply ordered six glasses of wine at once and organized my own tasting. I wanted to drink all of Meysari's wines because they use a lot of indigenous grapes. I took home bottles of the two best wines. Unique, because they're not available in Europe, and soon you can try them in Walsjérôt during an exclusive Caucasus tasting. Here's a sneak peek:

• Meysari Bülluri : made from Clairette and Bayan Shira grapes. Subdued, floral aromas, good acidity, and a touch of apple in the finish.
• Meysari Maxmari : Okay, the best red wasn't made from native grapes, but from Marseillan, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. This 2018 wine has already matured nicely: cherries, tobacco, and a long finish.

Travel in Azerbaijan

So much for the wine! Interesting, certainly. And the reason for my trip. But still: Azerbaijan isn't a country you necessarily go to for the wine. It's a great bonus, but not a goal in itself. So I'll tell you a few more anecdotes to get a better feel for the country, because you should definitely go!

About 93% of Azerbaijan's population is Muslim. Azerbaijanis are incredibly proud of the barely two years in their history when the Turks had just driven out the Russians and briefly left Azerbaijan independent. From 1917 until the Red Army invaded again in 1920, Azerbaijan declared itself the first democracy in the Muslim world and was a progressive, secular republic. And that's precisely what you still feel. Don't expect strict religious practices, but people who happily drink a glass of wine alongside copious amounts of tea. We visited the border town of Astara and swam in the Caspian Sea among women in bikinis less than a kilometer from the Iranian border. What a difference in freedom that must be just a kilometer away. Especially in the northern mountains, you see many tourists from the Gulf States, whose women walk the streets in burqas or niqabs (they find 35 degrees pleasantly cool and enjoy vacationing in the Caucasus). It's still a strange sight for me, but no one seems bothered by it, and that's a good thing. It's also telling that Azerbaijan's highest penalty of 25 years in prison is imposed for disrespecting each other's faith.

Corruption

Azerbaijan ranks 128th out of 180 on the corruption index. So, things aren't going very well. On the major roads, there's a speed camera every 5 to 10 kilometers (really, I measured it). The speed on those roads varies from 110 to 90 to 70 kilometers per hour, and a speed camera can easily be placed right after a sign lowering the speed limit. There's no such thing as coasting, as I discovered when we were pulled over at a police checkpoint. Unaware of any wrongdoing, I handed my driver's license to the officer and then had to come along to some sort of control room The screens were full of screens, on which the officer displayed several crystal-clear photos of me behind the wheel. I was sent back outside to retrieve my passport and car papers.

Back on the way, I was taken to a smaller room where an officer tried to have a conversation with me. It was difficult. Finding Azeris who also speak English is quite difficult, so much of the communication had been done manually the entire trip. The officer decided to use his translation app, typed something into his phone, and showed it to me. It said: "You are my favorite." Not knowing what to make of that sentence, I read it aloud, laughing somewhat quizzically. The officer realized the app was displaying a previous translation. He burst out laughing, walked away to his colleagues, and left the room. control room I heard a lot of new laughter. While not threatening, the setting wasn't exactly pleasant either, so I was a bit tense about what would happen next. The officer returned and explained that I'd been speeding. I couldn't remember, so I denied it. Then the officer showed me a screenshot that showed my license plate number and a speed limit of 93, where the speed limit was 70. Oh well, whatever. He typed in the amount of 238 AZN into his phone, which is about 140 euros. Pretty pricey. But he kept shouting "protocol," so I thought: just write the ticket. That wasn't his intention, though. He could take care of it for me. For 100 AZN (about 60 euros), he'd forget the whole thing and let me continue. That would save us both a lot of time and effort. I was happy with it and paid. As I left, I shook the officer's hand and said, "You are my favorite." A joke that luckily he also appreciated.

The rest of the journey consisted of slamming on the brakes at every speed limit reduction and driving extremely cautiously at every police car or checkpoint. Incidentally, you rarely saw police without a new "victim," so I suspect they had a lucrative business out of it. When I drove around a roundabout at night to turn around and signaled correctly as I exited, a police car with flashing lights and sirens sped up behind me. I should have signaled left at the roundabout before exiting. Sigh. By playing dumb and insisting we didn't understand what he wanted, the officers finally let us go. The message is clear.

Must see

In any case, visit Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The airport is nearby, so visiting is easy. The beautiful old city center, a World Heritage site, is surrounded by enormously modern and architecturally experimental buildings since the 19th century. oil boom . Azerbaijan also calls itself the Land of Fire. The Flame Towers In Baku they have the shape of flames and are illuminated as such at night.

But then you hit the road and leave the city behind. Soon, you'll no longer see the big cars from Baku, and the traffic will turn into a series of sometimes overloaded Ladas. You'll travel through landscapes reminiscent of the Alps, grain fields reminiscent of northern France, steppe landscapes, and rocky terrain that can resemble Iceland. Fascinating, and the natural phenomena are yet to come.

A unique one is Yanar Bulaq: water with so much methane you could set it on fire. We found it after a long search and saw many locals tapping the water, claiming it was healthy. I even had to drink a glass: it was undrinkable. They did, however, set the water on fire for us.

Yanar Dag is also of the same caliber: burning mountain. This mountain, incidentally, is more of a hill, but burns constantly due to the escaping gas. Opinions differ on whether this fire has been burning for centuries or whether a lit cigarette butt ignited it decades ago.

The latest miraculous natural phenomenon: Mud volcanoes . Small hills of gray mud that simmer and bubble from the gas in the earth. It sounds silly, but it's truly bizarrely entertaining. Surrounded by small volcanoes, you hear all sorts of bubbling and the mud bubbles popping. Truly unique and only accessible after a fifteen-minute off-road drive.

Go there

Looking for a unique holiday destination? Go there. The country is unique and fascinating. The Azerbaijanis will welcome you warmly. Outside of Baku, we only encountered one Norwegian tourist; otherwise, we didn't see any Westerners. It makes you feel like you're on a voyage of discovery. Rent a good SUV and explore. Traveling is never as easy as in Europe, of course, but it's doable, and you'll have a truly unique experience. I'm still full of stories, so feel free to stop by Walsjérôt to hear more, sample some Azerbaijani wine, or even better: to prepare for your next trip!

The CO2 emissions from our air travel are offset.