Azerbaijan

The ancient people of Azerbaijan were notable for their high viticulture, which isproved by numerousarcheologicalfindings.Expertsthink Azerbaijan's viticulture dates back to no less than 7,000 years ago. Grape grew throughout the country, from the highlands to the Absheron sands.

For instance, extremely interesting findings have been obtained in Nakhchivan. Entire grape bunches, stone tools to process those and household goods have survived from the depths of centuries. All this is not surprising as viticulture played a special role in local tribal economy and daily life during the Bronze Age.

Having improved grape selection for centuries, Azerbaijanis managed ' to make the vine a priceless source of inspiration for scholars and poets. Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, impressed by the richness and farming culture in Azerbaijan, wrote, "Nowhere else have I eaten such tasty grapes. This nation can work soil better than Egyptians do".

In their works, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and the geographer Strabo expressed their admiring successes of Azerbaijani wine-growers, i . Not only have Azerbaijani wine-makers selected plenty of valuable grape varieties, but also learned how to adapt imported varieties to the specificities of different climates and soils across the country. Local grape varieties reflect the history of viticulture with their names showing the wide range of specifications from the type, color and aroma of grapes to the location and grower.

There are more than 8,000 grape varieties in the world, but those which were and are grown in Azerbaijan are among the sweetest and most high-yielding.

The famous Russian writer Aleksey Gorki while visiting Baku in 1936 didn't hide his admiration for Azerbaijan's wine, and toasted to "the health of the nation who drink sparkling sun beams from their glasses". And he was right because grapes of such a fine taste grow due to sunshine and warmth. However, the main secret of Azerbaijani wine is the love and hard work of those people whose hands grow and protect the precious vines.

Thanks to the government's clever policy, viticulture is experiencing a revival as an important sector of agriculture. The famous viticulture districts of Shamkir, Tovuz, Ismayilli, Shamakhi, Goygol and Nakhchivan are revived.

Local wine-growers especially hope that the project "Keeping Genetic Resources of Caucasian and Black-Sea Wines" sponsored by the International Institute of Genetic Resources (Italy) will help preserve unique Azerbaijani varieties of grape.

Another project of importance for local viticulture is the Wine Route developed by the Ministry for Culture and Tourism within the Kyiv Initiative Regional Programme of the Council of Europe.

Azerbaijan is situated on the joint of Europe and Asia, border upon Georgia, Russia, Iran, Armenia and Turkey. From the east the territory of the country is washed by the Caspian Sea. Nine out of eleven climatic types of our planet are presented at the territory of the Republic. The mountains of Caucasus and Talysh that are crossed by fertile valleys take up more than a half territory of the country. Along with steppes and sparse growth of trees in the mountains there are vast shaded "forests. A variety of colors rages onpicturesque slopes in the spring and summer, wonderful alpine meadows, transparent sources gelling out of rocks. What can be better and more beautiful than creations of the Mother Nature itself. Up to 1250 big and small rivers flow in ’ Azerbaijan. The biggest are the Kur (1515 km) and the Araz (1072 km).

The Ghoy-gol Lake formed in 1139, is located in the mountains of the Less Caucasus at the height of 1576 m. Jhis miracle of the nature is considered to be а peаr1 among the of Azerbaijan.Azerbaijan is a country of wonderful mountain lakes. The Lakes Ghoy-gol, Nohur, Maral-gol, unique and wonderful for their beauty, are hidden in the mountains of the Less and the Great Caucasus. They have been the favorite recreation places for a long time.