The other day I went to the wine factory to check on my equipment and see how they are working. I must say that I am quite impressed with the speed in which they are working. Within a couple of months, the factory should be ready and 80 new jobs will be created.
Over lunch, I was talking with the administrators of the factory about what they will be producing and of which markets they will sell their goods to. They told me that they were not sure, but knew that the owners must have that part figured out, as they are spending quite a bit on money on renovating the factory.
I commented on the quality of wine and told them that the wine I have seen come out of their factory in my opinion is not the kind of wine that can compete in Western markets. I told them about a friend of mine that grows grapes and produces a wonderful wine that I�m told has made it to Western markets at $20 a bottle. Not that I believe that any wine could sell for $20 a bottle (though they do), this wine my friend produces is black in color (you don�t want to spill on yourself) and the kind that is very easy to drink. They knew about my friend and his wine and said they will be producing better wine than his.
According to the general director of the factory, during Soviet times, there were two kinds of wine produced in Karabagh. One kind was made for the Soviet market and the other was made for home consumption. Both came from the same grapes, but the one for the Soviet market was intentionally made to not taste good because if it did taste good, it would all be given away to ministers and people with powerful ties. The wine that was made for home consumption, like the kind my friend makes, tasted good and was not really talked about to the people in power, as they would want it for themselves.
Well now that there is no longer the Soviet Union and now that the factory is privately owned, they are going to only be producing only good sellable wines.
After lunch I drove the general director of the factory to his house to pick something up and on the way back, the head of the traffic police waved us down to ask the director if there they had any of that good wine or where could he find some? The director told him that he would not find any of it anyplace and he would have to wait for October until such wine was available. As we drove off, he told me �somethings never change�. I could tell from the look on the face of the cop (and also by personally knowing him) he was expecting the wine for free.
Over lunch, I was talking with the administrators of the factory about what they will be producing and of which markets they will sell their goods to. They told me that they were not sure, but knew that the owners must have that part figured out, as they are spending quite a bit on money on renovating the factory.
I commented on the quality of wine and told them that the wine I have seen come out of their factory in my opinion is not the kind of wine that can compete in Western markets. I told them about a friend of mine that grows grapes and produces a wonderful wine that I�m told has made it to Western markets at $20 a bottle. Not that I believe that any wine could sell for $20 a bottle (though they do), this wine my friend produces is black in color (you don�t want to spill on yourself) and the kind that is very easy to drink. They knew about my friend and his wine and said they will be producing better wine than his.
According to the general director of the factory, during Soviet times, there were two kinds of wine produced in Karabagh. One kind was made for the Soviet market and the other was made for home consumption. Both came from the same grapes, but the one for the Soviet market was intentionally made to not taste good because if it did taste good, it would all be given away to ministers and people with powerful ties. The wine that was made for home consumption, like the kind my friend makes, tasted good and was not really talked about to the people in power, as they would want it for themselves.
Well now that there is no longer the Soviet Union and now that the factory is privately owned, they are going to only be producing only good sellable wines.
After lunch I drove the general director of the factory to his house to pick something up and on the way back, the head of the traffic police waved us down to ask the director if there they had any of that good wine or where could he find some? The director told him that he would not find any of it anyplace and he would have to wait for October until such wine was available. As we drove off, he told me �somethings never change�. I could tell from the look on the face of the cop (and also by personally knowing him) he was expecting the wine for free.
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