Introducing Ukrainian Wines At Vinofandango

Just Arrived At Vinofandango With More To Come Soon!

4 mins 18 sec read

UKRAINE – Where do YOU stand?

Now, let me be clear - we’re going to be inundated with news about Ukraine over the coming days, weeks & months - but I’m not talking about the geopolitical dilemmas or egotistical politicians & their associated oligarchs (who will always come out of these situations unharmed or without major compromise), trying to carve up the Ukraine’s natural resources between them.

I’m talking here about the ‘little/normal’ people on the streets, particularly those that are tending the land and manning the infrastructures within disputed territories.

I’ve spent enough of my 42+ years career in vineyards and wineries to understand the difficulties vignerons and winemakers face from simple annual variances in weather, never mind trying to harvest grapes and make wine in a war zone.

Since Russia’s ‘special military operation’ began in Feb 22, I’ve taken more interest in the Ukrainian wine industry to try and understand the challenges they are facing, beyond the vagaries of the weather.

Having undertaken significant research, quite frankly, I’ve been appalled at some of the circumstances I’ve read about

VINEYARDS: that have been shelled so violently, that tractors can’t get a clear run between the rows of vines to spray, maintain or harvest, or the vineyards that are out of bounds as they’ve been mined so heavily, - or even worse, vineyards that have been taken over by the invading army.

WINERIES: I’ve come across wineries that have also been badly shelled, where wine tanks & equipment are damaged beyond repair, there is intermittent water & energy supply and the workforce is made up of the elderly, the infirm, women & children, as all men of working age are fighting the invading enemy.

Then you have to think about getting your wines to market – where the roads network and other infrastructure have been damaged.

Weather vagaries are the least of a Ukrainian winemakers worries!!

Historically, Ukraine’s wines have remained behind the iron curtain, with Russia being their main export market. However, with the current situation, being at war with their largest export market, they are now looking for new markets to explore and have recently set up a UK office to explore opportunities.

Wine has been produced in Ukraine since the 4th century BC – and the more I look into this country, the more excited I get about the wines it produces. It has a fabulous climate and many different geological soil structures. This, together with some incredible, indigenous grape varieties are producing some wonderful complex, interesting, and very different wine styles, including pet-nat sparkling wines, reds, whites, roses, orange, organic & biodynamic.

I have been very impressed with the samples I have tasted so far and have decided to list a range of 13 different wines (more may/will follow) from a number of different wineries to start our support for the Ukrainian wine industry.

We have made a conscious decision to support these wineries, and we are offering our maximum15% discount, close to our cost, off the range as an introductory offer to encourage you to help us support them through these difficult times.

As I asked at the top of the page – UKRAINE – where do YOU stand?

Help us to support our ‘little/normal’ wine friends of the Ukrainian wine industry by including some of their wines in your wine drinking repertoire.

Thank You, Alan