Flame Towers and Mud Volcanoes
We had no idea what to expect from this wine tours recce trip to the “Land of Fire”. Not only did we enjoy the country immensely but the wine industry impressed us. Away from wine, the capital Baku is a real contrast of old and new, and the surrounding countryside spews mud, gas, and flames, keeping you on your toes!
We love discovering under the radar wine destinations and trying some of the indigenous grape varieties that many countries are now bringing back to life. Azerbaijan did not disappoint, and two grapes that got our attention in Azerbaijan were Madrasa and Bayan Shira.
French grape, Italian winemakers and Azerbaijan history 
With Andrea Uliva the winemaker at Chabiant
We were lucky to be able to spend time, on two occasions, with the Italian winemaker for Chabiant Winery, Andrea Uliva (pictured with us above). In addition to being a very nice guy, Andrea is very enthusiastic about native Azerbaijani grapes and is including them as varietals and in blends in his creations for Chabiant Winery.
A tour and tasting with Andrea is something that can be arranged for our clients and we recommend spending the night at the winery hotel.
Walking around Chabiant, tasting from tanks as you go, you will see the old Soviet-style equipment next to its modern Italian-made equivalent. All of the former USSR republics were oriented to high volume, low-quality wine during Soviet rule and the equipment used seems ridiculous to our eyes today.
Chabiant produces a very interesting blend of Saperavi (which you may know from reading about Georgia) and the flagship local black grape, Madrasa. So this is a real Caucasus blend, from the birthplace of wine, and drinking it here, on the old Silk Route, is a special treat. OK, we are not saying that these wines knock it out of the park but for us, it’s mostly about the experience.
As most wine lovers would agree there is something really special about drinking wine where the grapes are grown and the wine made, here you can wander the vineyard plots with a glass in hand. I found myself contemplating the hundreds of years of Silk Route trade passing through these valleys while sipping a Bayan Shira.
We spent 8 days driving around the land of fire and visited 6 wineries in all. All of them are quite large scale operations, some producing a huge range of products, but all of them have something notable to offer.
Az Granta, for example, has a greenhouse Canteiro for its Madiera production. Not something you see very often outside Portugal. Also, Fireland has Georgian-style Qvevri buried underground for some of its white wine agings.
Another curiosity is that Savalan produces a Cabernet Sauvignon by the “ripasso” method (not exactly as in Valpolicella though), and with grapes growing from the terroir you see below the results are powerful.
Witness the old Soviet technology with current French barrels
Fireland Vineyards is close to Baku so that can be combined with time in the city. Four more wineries are relatively close together within a 3-hour drive from Baku; Shirvan, Az Granata, Chabiant and Savalan so they can be combined as you see in our Azerbaijan wine tour.
In our humble opinion, Azerbaijan is well worth a visit. Baku with its ancient and modern structures, tea, carpets, fire temples, and mud volcanoes starts you off well. Then out into the arid countryside where you will find the occasional green oasis of vines or fruit trees. The people are friendly and hospitable and, if you are like us, you will feel the warm glow from the land of fire long after you get home.
