Smuggling grapes out of Iran to make forbidden wine

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Vahe Keushguerian (left) and his daughter, Aimee, wear bullet-proof vests as they harvest grapes on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Photo courtesy of Somm TV.

Bulletproof vests and wine cellars aren't generally standard winemaking equipment. But for Vahe Keushguerian, they sometimes come with the territory. He has resurrected winemaking in Armenia, and with the support of his business partner and daughter, Aimee, Vahe ventured into Iran, which hasn't produced wine since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. 

In the documentary Cup of Salvation, filmmaker Jason Wise follows Keushguerian as he hunts down an ancient varietal.


Iranian grapes were used to make wine, an achievement 50 years in the making. Photo courtesy of Somm TV.


"Cup of Salvation" won the James Beard Award for Visual Media – Long Form and is streaming on Somm TV. Photo courtesy of Somm TV.