Areni Tavern

“Areni is a small Armenian town well known for its wine production, and where it was recently discovered what appears to be the oldest wine-making facility in the world (about 6,000 years ago). We stopped here at the lunch hour, and we stumbled in this small tavern (we were the only visitors). The tavern, despite its name, is very modern: it looks newly built. The welcome was warm, typically Armenian. There has been proposed a tasty sheep cheese; a kind of dried meat; and finally some pickled drums of vegetables, reminiscent of the wild fennel. All was accompanied by excellent lavash (Armenian unleavened bread) and by equally good local red wine. The bill (there were nine) was very low (as it is normal in rural Armenia), but can not remember the exact figure. Noteworthy that we were allowed to eat, along with the above listed food, even our packed lunch (but I am not sure that this is always possible). Overall it was a pleasantly rustic lunch, according with the character of the town and its territory.”