This weekend, the first festival dedicated to the Ukrainian Winemaker’s Day was held at the River Mall in Kyiv. This event became a vivid symbol of the revival and popularization of Ukrainian winemaking. Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy wine products from all over the country, as well as learn about traditional and modern winemaking methods.
Maksim Urakin, founder of Experts Club, a Kyiv-based think tank, noted that the production and sale of wine products in Ukraine today is complicated primarily by significant competition from foreign wines.
“Experts Club’s information and analytical project systematically supports all producers in the country, and winemakers are no exception. According to Experts Club, imported wine already accounts for more than 70% of total sales on the Ukrainian market, while the share of Ukrainian wine is below 30%. Holding thematic festivals dedicated to winemaking could open up unique varieties of Ukrainian wine to consumers, which are in no way inferior to French or Italian wines. That is why we all need to show consumer patriotism and buy Ukrainian wine,” added Maksim Urakin.
According to Volodymyr Pechko, CEO of UKRSADVINPROM, recent years have been difficult for Ukrainian winemaking, primarily due to the war. However, thanks to the efforts of craft producers, the industry continues to develop.
“I am confident that our festival will become an annual event, as we must support Ukrainian producers and promote Ukrainian quality both in Ukraine and internationally. I sincerely congratulate all winemakers on their professional holiday and thank them for the incredible work they continue to do. I also express my gratitude to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine for its assistance in organizing this year’s event,” he said.
Natalia Blagopoluchna, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, emphasized the uniqueness of Ukrainian craft wines.
“The diversity of our wines is the result of unique local climatic conditions and the peculiarities of the grape varieties we use. They are striking in their originality and are admirable,” said Natalia Blagopoluchna.
The festival took place on November 11-12 on the Dnipro embankment at the RIVER MALL shopping center. The organizers of the festival, the Public Union “Association of Gardeners, Winegrowers and Winemakers of Ukraine” (UKRSADVINPROM), the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, and the analytical center “Club of Experts”, presented the best winemakers of Ukraine with certificates from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
One of the highlights of the festival was a charity auction that not only raised funds to support an important cause but also demonstrated the social responsibility of the organizers and participants. The auction was hosted by TV presenter and Help for Ukraine ambassador Yevhen Koshovoy. The unique Ukrainian-made wine lots on display were the subject of competition among collectors and wine lovers. All the proceeds from the auction were donated to the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Ukraine. These funds will be used to finance the purchase of a mobile hospital to rescue the wounded. In total, the auction raised about UAH 100,000.
“I am pleased that today I had the opportunity to present these unique wines to true connoisseurs of winemaking. Also, each of those who received a collector’s bottle today can be sure that the money spent will go to a really necessary and good cause – rescuing the wounded and war-affected,” said Koshovoy.
The festival ended with an award ceremony where the winners of the Best Winery of the Festival competition were announced. It was a moment of pride for the winemakers, who were recognized for their efforts and skills. Voting for the best wine took place both with the help of a QR code and by filling out ballots. Each guest had the opportunity to express their opinion.
Three wineries became the winners based on the choice of festival visitors: Zelenytsy winery, Gigineishvili Wine House and the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. All of them received the same number of votes.
– Overall, the festival will feature the following Ukrainian wine brands:
– Zelenytsy winery;
– Gigineishvili Wine House;
– Dnipro hills (Stoic Ukrainian winery);
– WINEIDEA;
– Tiras Vaineri LLC (My Wine, Eduard Gorodetsky);
– 46 Parallel;
– Uman Winery of Igor Maksymenko;
– Father’s wine VB;
– Villa Tinta;
– Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine;
– Kulinichenko winery;
– Wines of the Silver Land;
– National Research Center “Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking named after
Gastronomic wine pairings were provided by such producers as Tsar Khlib, TM Zinka, TM Karapyshivski sausages, and others.
Festival partner Voda.ua
Thus, the Winemaker’s Day festival in Kyiv has not only become a significant event in the cultural calendar of the capital, but also made a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian winemaking. It brought together winemakers, sommeliers, and wine lovers, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience, and drew attention to the Ukrainian wine industry. The organizers of the festival announced plans to hold similar events in the future, giving a new impetus to the development of this sector in our country.
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On the occasion of the annual celebration of the Ukrainian Winemaker’s Day and in order to support and popularize domestic wine producers, the capital will host the first Winemaker’s Day festival, which will feature products from all over Ukraine. The event will showcase both the ancient traditions and the modern approach of Ukrainian winemaking.
“In recent years, Ukrainian wine production has begun to revive largely thanks to small wineries and wine tourism. But the war has slowed this process to a large extent. One of the ways to stimulate the country’s economy to recover is to hold events that will help popularize domestic producers among consumers,” says Volodymyr Pechko, CEO of UKRSADVINPROM.
“Most major wine-producing countries support their producers and stimulate sales both in the domestic market and for export. Ukraine will not be able to develop as a wine country without systematic state support for domestic producers. That is why I am grateful to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy for its support in organizing the festival,” said Maksym Urakin, founder of the Kyiv-based think tank Experts Club.
According to him, Ukraine can produce much more wine than it does today, but competition from imported products is high. According to the Experts Club, imported wine occupies a significant share of the Ukrainian market, accounting for about 70% of total sales in the country, while the share of Ukrainian wine is about 30%.
“Holding thematic festivals dedicated to winemaking could open up unique varieties of Ukrainian wine to consumers, which are in no way inferior to French or Italian wines,” Urakin emphasized.
In her turn, Natalia Blagopoluchna, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, emphasized the unique organoleptic characteristics and taste of Ukrainian craft wines.
“The diversity of our wines is the result of unique local climatic conditions and the peculiarities of the grape varieties we use. They strike with their originality, arouse admiration and stimulate bold experiments,” she said.
The festival will be held on November 11-12 at the address: Kyiv, Dniprovska embankment, 12, RIVER MALL, food court area on the 3rd floor.
The festival program includes a presentation of Ukrainian craft wines, charity auctions, master classes from winemakers, tasting sessions, cooking shows, music performances and much more.
The festival is organized by the UKRSADVINPROM public union, the Club of Experts think tank, and the Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers.
The following Ukrainian wineries will take part in the festival:
– Zelenytsy winery “Zelenytsy Family Winery”;
– Gigineishvili Wine House;
– Slyvyno Winery, a private enterprise;
– Dnipro hills (Stoic Ukrainian winery);
– WINEIDEA;
– Tiras Vaineri LLC;
– 46 Parallel;
– Uman Winery of Igor Maksymenko;
– Father’s wine VB;
– Falko Winery;
– Villa Tinta;
– Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine;
– Kulinichenko winery;
– KOBLEVO;
– Wines of the Silver Land;
– National Research Center “Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking” of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.
The event is supported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
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On July 29-30, the V annual Cheese & Wine Festival will be held at the Forest Club Sherwood hotel and restaurant complex. The event is organized by Focus event, a company that creates emotions and various events to support people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
Cheese&Wine Festival is a combination of live music with a glass of real wine and craft cheese. The special guest at the event on July 29 is Pianoboy (Dmitry Shurov). The main goals of the festival are to raise funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; help businesses sell their products and find and attract customers for long-term cooperation; popularize the culture of Ukrainian winemaking and cheese making; develop a culture of wine consumption; and facilitate communication between producers, distributors and the hotel and restaurant business in Ukraine.
The festival will bring together top management of enterprises, owners and managers of agricultural enterprises, owners and managers of restaurants, pubs, hotel and restaurant complexes, wine and cheese producers, professional sommeliers, opinion leaders, and representatives of specialized associations.
The event will feature a lecture hall where wine experts will present important and relevant topics for Ukrainian winemaking. Speakers of the event:
Liudmyla Boiko, chief technologist of the family-owned company Khani Badger.
Natalia Blagopoluchna, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, head of the first Ukrainian Sommelier School.
Eduard Gorodetsky, founder of Tiras Winery and MY Wine.
Mykola Blagopoluchnyi, CEO of Master Class, Director of the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers.
Ihor Vishtak, Director of the Crop Production Department at the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Pechko, head of the public association “Ukrsadvynprom”.
Iryna Kovaleva, Director of the V.E. Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the analytical center “Club of Experts”, publisher, marketing director of the news agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
Yegor Belov, chef sommelier at InterContinental Kyiv, winner of the All-Ukrainian Sommelier Competition 2019.
Natalia Burlachenko, sommelier and brand ambassador of Vinos de La Luz (France, Spain, USA, Argentina).
The festival will feature a pre-premiere screening of the film Wounded Land. This is a documentary about the stories of Ukrainian winemakers who suffered from Russian aggression. The film was successfully presented in Hollywood (USA).
The event program will also include a roundtable discussion “Development of Ukrainian winemaking in times of war. Current issues. Communication between the government and producers to solve them” with Igor Vishtak, Director of the Crop Production Department of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, heads of specialized associations, owners and managers of wineries.
Cheese & Wine Festival has a charitable component. The military are sending various items from the frontline to be sold at a charity auction at the festival. The proceeds will be donated to the needs of the Armed Forces. Last year’s festival raised UAH 74,500, which was used to buy a car for snipers.
We invite everyone: from craft winemakers and cheese makers to large distributors and manufacturing plants, from experts, sommeliers, winemakers to connoisseurs of quality wine and cheese.
Join the V Cheese and Wine Festival 2023. It will be interesting and useful and, of course, very tasty!
Interfax-Ukraine, Club of Experts, www.open4businesscom.ua sind die Medienpartner.
Um Karten für das Festival zu kaufen: https://uman.karabas.com/ua/festival-cheese-wine
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Last year thanks to the efforts of the association Ukrsadvindindprom and some Ukrainian wine producers, Ukraine after a 14-year break regained its membership in the International Organization of Vine and Wine (IOVW, International Organization of Vine and Wine).
On the 9-10th of March 2023 in France the General Assembly of IOVW took place, in which the representative from Ukraine, the head of the Public Association “The Association of Gardens, Winegrowers and Wine-makers of Ukraine” Volodymyr Pechko took part.
International Organization of Winegrowing and Winemaking is an intergovernmental organization, established according to the Treaty of April 3rd, 2001. IOVW is successor of the Intergovernmental Organisation – International Bureau of Vine and Wine (BIVW), set up according to an agreement of eight countries (France, Spain, Tunisia, Portugal, Hungary, Luxembourg, Greece and Italy) in Paris on November 29, 1924.
The organization provides recommendations to the wine-growing and wine-making industries, which are adopted by the European Community, thus emphasizing the influence of the IOWAV on the regulation and trade processes (EU countries produce about 70% of the world’s wine).
The organization’s main objectives are:
– The health benefits and quality of wine;
– protection of interests of the wine industry and creation of favorable market conditions;
– harmonization of standards and compliance of analysis methods;
– protection of geographical indications;
– guarantee of purity and origin of products;
– combating fraud and unfair competition.
Currently, Ukrainian scientists, including representatives of the scientific center “Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking” actively work in the committees of the IOVV NAAS of Ukraine.
According to IOVW, there are 47 countries in the world today that produce wine on an industrial scale. However, not all of these countries have individual states or regions that are specifically designated as wine producing. The top five largest wine-producing states include Italy, France, Spain, the United States and Argentina. These five countries account for more than half of the world’s wine production. It is worth noting that the ranking can change from year to year depending on factors such as weather conditions, yields and demand.
“According to historical data, until 1991, Ukraine was one of the largest wine-producing regions of Europe. At the same time, Ukrainian winemaking was integrated into the Soviet wine industry along with Georgia and Moldova. In the late 1980s, wine production in Ukraine peaked at about 120 million decaliters per year, which was about one-third of total wine production in the Soviet Union. By comparison, production in 2020 was about 35 million decaliters,” explained Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Ukrsadvinprom association.
He also reminded that in the first years of independence, huge wineries became uncompetitive and lost the market, which led to a crisis of the entire industry.
“In recent years, winemaking began to revive largely due to small wineries and wine tourism in our country. But everyone is now hamstrung by war, so the way out for all of us is to find new markets for our products,” Pechko stressed.
As of February 1, 2022, the total area of vine plantations in Ukraine by all categories of farms amounted to 34.0 thousand hectares, gross harvest of grapes – 257.5 thousand tons. However, after the outbreak of hostilities, almost a quarter of the area under vineyards are temporarily occupied or are in the war zone.
In turn, the deputy head of the association “Ukrsadvinprom” Maksim Urakin noted that Ukraine can produce and export a much larger volume of wine than today.
“In January 2023, Ukraine produced 422 thousand decaliters of wine, with about 328 thousand decaliters sold on the domestic market during the same period. And taking into account the fact that during winter months the production level is lower due to seasonal factor, the export potential of Ukrainian winemaking remains significant”, – said Urakin.
According to the expert, finding partners and entering new markets is not an easy thing to do as there is fierce competition in this segment.
“Most of the major wine producing countries support their producers and encourage them to export. Ukraine will not be able to establish itself as a major winemaking country without systematic government support for domestic producers and without the search for new markets and participation in exhibitions, forums and conferences. Situationally, the industry may also be helped by the fact that because of the hostilities, millions of our citizens were forced to go abroad, where they became local consumers. Including through them we can increase the export of our goods, including wine”, – says Urakin.
This year, representatives of Ukrsadvinprom association and leading Ukrainian winemakers are taking part in ProWein international exhibition on behalf of Ukraine.
This year the exhibition will take place from March 19 to 21. Ukrainian stand will feature products of 10 winemakers under the common brand Wines of Ukraine:
1. Beykush Winery (Nikolaev region)
2. Father’s Wine VB (Ternopil region)
3. Prince Trubetskoy Winery (Kherson region)
4. Chateau Chizay (Transcarpathian region)
5. Stakhovsky Wines (Transcarpathian region)
6. Biologist Craft Winery (Kyiv region)
7. Colonist Winery (Odessa region / Southern Bessarabia)
8. Villa Tinta (Odessa region / Southern Bessarabia)
9. My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky (Odessa region)
10. 46 Parallel Wine Group (Odessa region).
International exhibition ProWein is one of the largest and most important wine and spirits exhibitions in the world, which is held annually in Dusseldorf, Germany. The event attracts thousands of exhibitors and visitors from all over the world, including wineries, wine merchants, sommeliers and industry professionals. ProWein is hosted by Messe Düsseldorf, the leading organizer of international trade fairs, and usually takes place over three days in March. A wide range of products, including wines, spirits, beer and soft drinks, as well as accessories such as glassware and wine storage solutions, are on display.
One of the key features of ProWein is an extensive program of seminars, tastings and master classes designed to showcase the latest trends and developments in the wine and spirits industry. These events are led by experts from around the world and cover a wide range of topics, from viticulture and winemaking to marketing and sales.
Interfax-Ukraine – information partner of the events
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On December 30, 2021, as a result of the annual work of Ukrainian winemakers and relevant associations, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine held the ” Great Tasting of Ukrainian Wines.”
Event organizers:
– Ukrsadvinprom public union
– the Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers (http://www.sommelier.in.ua/spip.php?rubrique28)
– the Association of Craft Wine Producers
– the Association of Cavistes of Ukraine
– the Experts Club
The purpose of the event: popularization of wines of Ukraine by presenting the range of sparkling and still wines, both from well-known large producers and from small (craft) winemakers.
The presentation was attended by:
– Roman Leschenko – Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine
-Volodymyr Pechko- head of Ukrsadvinprom
– Natalia Blahopoluchna – President of the Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers and the Association of Cavistes of Ukraine
-Svitlana Tsybak – President of the Association of Craft Wine Producers of Ukraine
– Heads and representatives of the departments of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy
– Representatives of wine producers and specialized organizations
20 producers presented their wines for tasting:
• Prince Trubetskoi Winery
• Oreanda
• Villa Krim
• Koblevo
• Chizay
• Beykush Winery
• Guliev Wines
• Frumushika-Nova
• Driukivski Wines
• Babchuk Winery
• Narovylo
• Gigineishvili Wine House
• Villa Tinta
• Sadyba Sterkh
• Slivino
• Bohdan’s Winery
• Grapes Odesa
• Don Alejandro
• Kalyus Winery
• Stakhovsky Winery
The presented samples (there were more than 50 of them) were from different grape varieties, such as the international group of varieties – Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and local grape varieties – Sukholymansky, Chersegi, Saperavi, Odesa Black.
Brut category sparkling wines (white and rosé) were in the aperitif part of the presentation, and then white, rosé, orange and red dry wines from different regions of Ukraine amazed everyone with their quality, namely, from Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zakarpattia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia.
In his welcoming speech, Minister of Agrarian Policy Roman Leschenko stressed the importance of abolishing the excise tax on dry wines from January 1, 2022, which will promote domestic wines and facilitate the work of winemakers, and thanked everyone for organizing such an important event and congratulated the audience on the coming year 2022!
Let’s go to the New Year with Ukrainian wine!
Interfax-Ukraine News Agency is an information partner of this event and other events of Ukrsadvinprom.
Special partner of the event – company Sophienwald, hand-made glasses from Austria.
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Producers and processors of grapes, as well as representatives of the wine industry will hold the international forum Odessa Wine Week in Odesa on May 25-29, the event will unite the efforts of the Ukrainian wine-making community aimed at developing the Ukrainian wine market, wine and gastronomic tourism, popularizing and promoting the Ukrainian Wine brand and the integration of Ukraine into the world wine community.
This was announced by the organizers of the event – head of the Ukrsadvinprom public organization Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Expo-Yug-Service projects Bella Khanameryan and head of the wine technology and sensory analysis department of the Odesa National Academy of Food Technologies Oksana Tkachenko at a press conference at Interfax- Ukraine.
According to Ukrsadvinprom head Pechko, his association organizes an annual forum, which was first held this year in Odesa, since this site allows to gather the leading experts of the wine industry, scientists, oenologists (experts in evaluating vineyards), winemakers, government officials, national and foreign wine associations, tourism industry, HoReCa and retail, sommeliers, journalists, wine traders and producers of related products and technologies to popularize Ukrainian wines.
“Last year, one could taste 305 samples from 65 wineries in Ukraine. That is, in one place you can taste Ukrainian wines: craft winemakers, medium-sized producers with vineyards of 40-60 hectares, and large producers from all over Ukraine,” Pechko said.
The organizer of the forum, Bella Khanameryan, specified that this year 30 companies have become partners of the event. In addition, 87 speakers and experts from 18 countries spoke at Odessa Wine Week 2021, profile reports and discussions were held on 40 topics, over 3,000 people attended the event.
According to her, in 2022, projects were announced at the forum, including talks about wine and Ukraine’s integration into the world wine community Wine Future Forum, as well as the Odessa Wine & Spirit Awards competition.
“In 2022 we will have a creative competition for the best label. We will have a sailing regatta, a special program “Women in Winemaking,” evening performances, musical and artistic performances, exhibitions, biennials, everything that can be shown in the culture of drinking, pay attention to wine as part of the cultural code of the country,” Khanameryan explained.
According to Oksana Tkachenko, Ukrainian industry representatives see recognition in other countries of the world among their strategic goals.
“We already see interest from our closest neighbors, we are waiting for delegations from such countries such as Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, who will not only come to show themselves, but we are preparing educational projects for them, within which they will visit wineries and participate in educational project in B2B and B2C formats,” she said.
Ihor Vishtak, the director of the agrarian development department of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, who participated in the press conference, said that his department has already allocated UAH 450 million of compensation to support horticulture, viticulture and hop-growing in 2021, of which UAH 200 million for planting material, the construction of trellises for growing climbing plants and drip irrigation (of which – UAH 9 million for viticulture), and UAH 250 million – for the construction and reconstruction of facilities for these crops (including UAH 19 million – for the construction of facilities and the purchase of wine-making lines).
Interfax-Ukraine and the Experts Club acted as partners of Odessa Wine Week.
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