Molana Rasheh

Keush itself, headed up by globetrotting winemaker Vahe Keushguerian, is one of Armenia’s most prominent wine producers, offering a wide range of styles made from indigenous Armenian varieties. The winery also sits serendipitously close to the border with northwestern Iran – and thus a plan was hatched. Keushguerian noticed that, within Iran, small patches of old-vine vineyards still dotted the hillsides of Sardasht County, growing the indigenous variety of Rasheh. And so, along with a team from the winery, Keushguerian crossed the border into this mountainous terrain (the grapes are planted at around 1500 metres above sea level), and harvested the grapes by hand, bringing them down the mountains with the aid of donkeys. He then smuggled them into Armenia in the back of a truck under a shipment of grass bales, and set about creating the first Iranian wine for forty years. Highly limited in production (to around 1200 cases), the wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and macerated for forty days. 

Very pale in the glass, the wine perhaps invites comparisons with Pinot Noir or Cinsault – it prioritises elegance over power despite the complexity and concentration of its flavours. Wild strawberry, red cherry and cassis marry well with earthier pomegranate notes, alongside dried herbs and a distinct black-pepper aroma. Its versatility invites pairing with a wide variety of traditional Iranian foods – try with lamb koobideh, ghormeh sabzi, or even Shirazi salad. A true treasure and a taste of history, Keush Molana Rasheh, taking its name from a nickname of the poet Rumi, is absolutely unmissable.