ArmInfo. The Interactive Digital Mapping of GI Armenian Brandy Grape Production Zones has been launched in Yerevan. The new digital platform integrates vineyards, terroir data, and GI compliance tools into a single spatial system. The interactive website represents a key milestone in the EU's support to Armenia's brandy sector, combining innovation, quality protection, and rural economic development.
The event was attended by representatives from the EU Delegation to Armenia, led by EU Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, as well as representatives from the RA Ministry of Economy, led by Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan, and other attendees.
Vassilis Maragos, pointing out the European Union's ongoing support for the development of innovation in Armenia's agri-food sector, quality infrastructure, and sustainable development, noted that digital tools play a key role in protecting geographical indications, enhancing competitiveness, and building trust in international markets. In his speech, Armenian Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan noted that the launch of the interactive digital mapping platform is an important contribution to Armenia's economic development agenda, strengthening the institutional system of geographical indications, supporting rural communities and agricultural producers, and creating conditions for sustainable growth, value-added production, and increased export competitiveness of Armenian Brandy.
Recall, in June 2021, it was announced that Armenian producers, as part of the Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the European Union, will stop using the word "cognac" starting in 2043 and are discussing a new name to avoid losing markets. The requirement to abandon the name "cognac" contained in the agreement is based on the fact that the term is a protected geographical indication, which, according to current EU regulations, can only be used for products produced in the French department of Charente, where the city that gave the drink its name is located. The EU had allocated 2.9 million euros for the Armenian cognac rebranding program.
It should be noted that, according to the Statistics Committee, 12.4 million liters of cognac (Armenian brandy) were produced in Armenia from January to November 2025, with a year-on-year decline of 32.2%.
