"Goygol Wine Factory Expands Export Potential" (Azerbaijan Newspaper)
Today, Azerbaijan is among the countries that demonstrate a principled stance on all issues and are capable of independently determining their own fate. The policies implemented by President Ilham Aliyev are highly appreciated by the Azerbaijani people. At the same time, as a result of ongoing reforms, the country's economic dependence on oil is gradually decreasing, and Azerbaijan is transforming from an importer into an exporter. This is confirmed by the foreign trade figures for the first quarter of the current year. In the first quarter of 2017, due to the excess of exports over imports, our country's foreign exchange reserves increased and reached 38.5 billion dollars. Today, the sustainable reforms being implemented in the country's economy primarily ensure the development of the non-oil sector. The consistent improvement of state and entrepreneurial relations, the enhancement of the business and investment environment in the country, the simplification of administrative rules and procedures, the elimination of illegal interference in entrepreneurial activities, the strengthening of state support for entrepreneurship, and the expansion of private enterprises' export opportunities, the provision of electronic state services to businessmen in accordance with international standards, have resulted in making the private sector the leading force in the country's economy. Currently, the products produced by our local entrepreneurs are exported to foreign countries under the brand "Made in Azerbaijan," bringing foreign currency and enhancing Azerbaijan's image.
There are many such enterprises in our country, and one of them is the Joint Stock Company "Goygol Wine Factory." This enterprise, with its traditions, has quickly surpassed its former glory and gained significant prestige thanks to its high-quality products.
Helenendorf wines from this region once conquered Europe. In the second half of the 19th century, after the Germans settled in these territories, they began cultivating local grape varieties around the Ganja River, and thus viticulture and winemaking became their primary economic activities. In Helenendorf (as the city of Goygol was called at that time), every German house had a cellar where homemade wines were stored in barrels made from local oak. Entering the European markets with wines handcrafted in the house of Christopher Vohrer marked the foundation of the winemaking industry in Azerbaijan. Having made significant profits from this industry, the Helenendorf Vohrer later involved his sons in the business. Thus, in 1862, the joint-stock company "Vohrer Brothers" was founded on the territory where the Goygol Wine Factory is now located.
Here, bottled wine and cognac are sent to various countries around the world. Seeing that the products they produced were gaining fame and selling at high prices, the Vohrer brothers began to expand their vineyards. An aging Christopher Vohrer handed the enterprise over to his four sons - Christopher, Friedrich, Gottlieb, and Heinrich. The brothers further expanded production and opened sales points for wine and cognac produced at the enterprise in Ganja, Tiflis, Baku, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, Tomsk, and Batumi. Helenendorf wines, which mainly reached European markets, were awarded gold medals at several international exhibitions. After some time, the existing cellar could no longer cope with the wine and cognac being produced, necessitating the construction of a large wine storage facility. The storage facility was mainly built from clay and white river stone. The total depth of the cellars reached 35-40 meters, with temperatures of 13-15 degrees in summer and 10 degrees in winter.
At that time, the Vohrer brothers also began producing beer. This brewery ranked second after the Baku brewery. In 1883, the brothers also put the first wine warehouse into operation. By 1922, the factory had become the largest wine and cognac producer in the South Caucasus. Later, it transformed into the Khanlar Agro-Industrial Complex, and now it is the JSC "Goygol Wine Factory." Many years have passed since then, but the wine cellars built at that time are still in use. The grandchildren of the Vohrer brothers come to Goygol every year to remember the buildings left by their grandfathers. The grandson of one of the brothers, Thomas Vohrer, has visited the region several times.
The JSC "Goygol Wine Factory" has not fallen short of its predecessor.
After the collapse of the USSR, the chaos that engulfed Azerbaijan's economy also affected this enterprise. Thus, 1,433 hectares of vineyards were destroyed, and the factory lost all its former connections. Only after the national leader Heydar Aliyev signed the "Law on Viticulture and Winemaking" did this sector of the economy begin to recover. Like other enterprises that had suspended their activities, the Goygol Wine Factory was restored.
First and foremost, the enterprise was modernized. All production areas were equipped with automated machinery that ensures the production of high-quality alcoholic beverages meeting modern standards. A new grape reception and processing workshop was built, consisting of four production lines acquired from the Italian company "Technofood," with a daily capacity of 150-200 tons. To produce the world-famous "Madeira" wine, a unique chamber workshop was constructed. The new workshop, which ensures the formation, aging, thermal processing of wines, and all technological processes according to the appropriate technological scheme, began its operations. In the area of grape processing and wine production, various types of wines began to be produced, including dry and semi-sweet table wines, fortified port wines, and strong and dessert wines like "Madeira."
Currently, the enterprise operates two production lines with a capacity of 6,000 bottles per hour each, producing various strong beverages under the brand "Khan." These lines produce high-quality vodka such as "Khan 1860," "Khan Almaz," "Khan Elite," "Khan Present," "Khan Jubilee," "Khan Crystal," "Khan Premium," and others.
The factory has also introduced innovations in the production and aging of cognac spirits. The cognac spirit production workshop is equipped with two continuous distillation apparatuses of the "K-5M" brand. As a result, high-quality cognac spirits are produced. To improve the quality of the fresh cognac spirit, 160 barrels with a capacity of 50 decaliters each, made from oak grown in the Limousin forests in France, were imported. The warehouses where the barrels will be stored have been thoroughly renovated.
Alongside alcoholic beverages, the factory has started producing non-alcoholic drinks. For this purpose, three production lines from the Italian company "Technofood" were installed. This production area produces high-quality natural and carbonated table waters, as well as various types of lemonades.
Goygol beverages are highly rated at international exhibitions.
Currently, the alcoholic beverages produced by the factory find numerous buyers both in domestic and international markets. Eight types of the factory's wines are sold in the Russian markets. The Chairman of the Board, Alesker Yahyaev, states that after its restoration, the factory participated in international wine exhibitions held in various countries and received numerous medals and diplomas. In 2008 alone, the factory's products were awarded the "Gold Quality" certificate at the 3rd International Quality Assembly, and received awards for "Quality" and "New Millennium Prize" established by the International Club of Trade Leaders. In November 2010, at the "Beverages Industry-2010" and "Russian Wine Fair" exhibitions held at the Crocus Expo in Moscow, the red semi-sweet wine "Ağsu" and the red semi-sweet wine "Şahdağ" received gold medals, and the factory's production activities were awarded the Grand Prix. At the 4th International Wine Festival in Ganja, the pomegranate wine "Nargilə" was awarded a gold medal, and the red dry table wine "Cabernet-Sauvignon" received a silver medal. The factory's greatest success came at the international wine exhibition held in February this year at the "Prodexpo" exhibition center in Moscow. According to the Central Tasting Commission, three of the nine wines from the Goygol factory—"Sauvignon Blanc," "Chardonnay," and "Cabernet-Sauvignon"—received gold medals, and six received silver medals. At this competition, the vodka "Xan 1860" and "Xan Elite" produced by the Goygol Wine Factory were also highly rated and awarded gold medals.
Preference is given to high-quality grape varieties.
Recently, the factory has not only expanded the area of vineyards but also focused on planting more high-quality and economically efficient grape varieties. To this end, new grape varieties from France and Italy have been imported and planted in recent years. At the same time, local high-yielding varieties are also preferred. Currently, the vineyards grow grape varieties such as "Chardonnay," "Sauvignon Blanc," "Uni Blanc," "Bayan Shire," "Rkatsiteli," "Cabernet-Sauvignon," "Merlot," "Syrah," "Hamburg Muscat," and "Madrasa."
The factory's products are mainly exported to various cities in the Russian Federation. A recent contract was signed with a Chinese company. According to the contract, 3 million bottles of wine will be sent to this country this year. Overall, efforts to introduce the factory's products to international markets are ongoing year-round. The team believes that in the near future, Goygol wines will be talked about in even more distant countries.
Sabir Aliyev, "Azerbaijan" News link: http://www.azerbaijan-news.az/index.php?mod=3&id=123921
