Heritage, hotels, rugs and wine. Meet James Tufenkian

Was there a Bob Hope movie....The Road to Yerevan?  Maybe not, but the road to Yerevan for James Tufenkian is fascinating. James is one motivated diasporan. He has created a well-known, world-wide hand woven carpet, planted 1,000,000 trees in Armenia, built a hotel chain and is now embarking on the wine trade.

With the idea he wanted to serve the out-lying areas (away from Yerevan) with luzury hotels, James has completed 4 and is currently constructing his 5th in the Areni region of Armenia. Maybe you have heard of Areni? Maybe it rings a bell? Only a few kilometers away from James' construction site lies the oldest compete winery ever unearthed complete with fermentation amphora, shoes and artifacts.

His latest project (not to be out done by the 1,000,000 trees he planted with a previous effort) is to create the Turfenkian brand wines. I was completely impressed with his first vintage of Areni (the grape) and impressed he did not succumb to the market forces that would have told him to oak the wine before release (we both agree that Arena and oak are not that compatible).

Oh, did I mention he had dated my sister back in the day? a true credential.

Salud.