It has become a tradition that one of my cousins has created a special holiday for all the cousins, called Easter Eve.  She said that she took the mantel from her mother, to keep the family together, as she represented the new generation.  The first one was held at her apartment, after she had just gotten married and was overlooking the Detroit River.  That initial party was a crowd pleaser, as I saw a photo of my Bride and I, sitting on an ice chest, as there were no more chairs in the apartment to sit on.  This has changed to a degree, but still a case of déjà vu as my Bride and I ended up dining at the island table in the kitchen, and I did hear that there were forty-two guests.  She has always begun the dinner, with everyone reciting or reading “Hayr Mer” which is the Armenian version of The Lord’s Prayer, and she now has the prayers laminated and everyone gets an Armenian flag to hold as well, during this part of the evening.  The meal was fantastic starting with a big spread of appetizers, beginning with home-made Lahmajoon, an Armenian “pizza” on very thin dough covered with ground lamb, onions, garlic, parsley and tomato paste.  Jumbo Shrimp cocktail with an amazing horseradish sauce.  I could go on and on, about all of the food that was there, some house-made, some catered, some guest-made, but it was all delicious.  The roast lamb was stellar and if there had been a cover charge, the lamb would have redeemed the charge.  One of the cousins had made “Ace’s Hot Ham” as it is called, a true homage to my father and the dish that he created; a Krakus Polish ham that is stuffed with cloves of garlic and coated with crushed pepper flakes, gently baked and sliced paper thin.  The table could have collapsed with all of the food that was being offered, and then there was desserts.  Somewhere between all of this, there was even the traditional Easter Egg battle, each participant grabs a decorated hard-boiled egg and either holds their egg firmly, or is the one to attack another egg that is held firmly, to see whose egg shell was stronger.  The egg is totally symbolic of Easter, especially to the Armenians; and though I am not sure, I have to believe this custom or something similar is done in other cultures as well. 

The first wine that I will mention is Trinity Canyon Vineyards Dukhov Vayots Dzor Armenia 2017 and Dukhov is one of the slogans of the Armenian Velvet Revolution, a peaceful movement from 1918 that raised hopes for a free election and means “with courage” or “without fear.” Trinity Canyons Vineyards was founded by three wine lovers in 2009 and associated themselves with winegrowers and winemakers in the Vayots Dzor Highlands, near the oldest established wine producing site in the world (Areni).  Vayots Dzor is a mountainous province in southeastern Armenia and the motherland of Areni Noir; and contains the most wineries of any province.  The Areni-1 cave complex is a famous archaeological site containing the oldest discovered winery, over 6,000 years ago.  The vineyards here lie mainly between 950 and 1,200 meters above sea level.  The wine is a blend of sixty-five percent Kakhet, twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and ten percent Areni Noir.  Kakhet has been recorded since the Fourth Century, but until recently (Soviet Era) was reserved for Port-style sweet wines.  It tends to be berry-forward and terroir driven, and offers tones of blackberry, black currant, fig, and black pepper.  U.C. Davis claims that it is a relative of the French varietal Carbonneau.  Areni Noir is a dark-skinned varietal indigenous to Armenia and then the Transcaucus, that is well adapted to the large temperature swings found in the region.  It is known for its elegance and freshness.  This wine underwent Initial Fermentation in Stainless Steel and then was aged for about fourteen months in Caucasian Oak.  A medium red colored wine that offered notes of currants, strawberries, pomegranates, and pepper.  On the palette it showed tones of red fruits, spices, soft tannins, and I thought some traces of rhubarb, with a short finish.

In keeping with the theme of an Armenian Easter Eve, there on the open bar was a bottle of Ararat Five Star Brandy from the Yerevan Brandy Company of Armenia. All I could find out that the wine is made from small white Armenian grapes, but they were not identified. It is estimated that there are thirty to forty wine varieties that are indigenous to Armenia, perhaps some going back to that vineyard that Noah planted when the Ark landed at Mount Ararat in biblical times. The most notable white grapes from the area are Voskehat, Kangun, Muscat Vardabuyr, Garan Dmak and Chilar; so, I will presume that it is one or more of those used in production. Ararat Brandy is still marketed in the Russian speaking parts of the former Soviet States as Cognac, because the company won the Grand-Prix in competition in France in 1900, and they were legally allowed to call their product “Cognac,” but not with the Origen laws in place in Europe, that is not allowed.  The five starts represent five years of aging.  The brandy is an amber color and offers notes of peaches, plums, vanilla, and cinnamon.  On the palette caramel, toffee, and pastry.  I didn’t imbibe or take a photo, I am slipping, so I had to use a stock photo from the internet.  And of course, it will always get a smile and a nod from everyone, as it is my late father’s name.