Resilience of Ukraine’s Fine Wine Industry Amidst Wartime Challenges

For the first time, three Ukrainian producers are introducing their wines in the U.S., a bold move amid considerable uncertainty.

Once retired from tennis, Sergiy Stakhovsky intended to devote all his energy to his winery in Western Ukraine. Known for one of the greatest surprises in tennis history — his victory over Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013 —, Stakhovsky launched Stakhovsky Wines with the 2018 vintage. He wished to demonstrate to his fellow Ukrainians that their homeland could produce excellent wines.

Regrettably, the Russian full-scale invasion, underway since Feb. 25, 2022, interrupted his plans. Stakhovsky felt compelled to join the battlefront. “It was a clear decision for me. I was born in Ukraine, represented our national team, and witnessed our flag raised in the Olympics. I had to fight,” he declared.

Stakhovsky, in a conversation with Wine Spectator from a military facility’s basement in Kiev, revealed the morale within his unit was dwindling. Post weeks of constant artillery fire, the Russians conquered the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk on Feb. 17. Consequently, this marked the first significant territorial gain in over nine months. Ukrainian troops are fast depleting their ammunition resources.

“We are tired. We don’t rest, and we feel the world’s support is slowing down,” he confessed. “But we keep fighting because we have no choice—if we stop, we crumble.”

As Ukrainians brace for an uncertain future, an unlikely and somewhat miraculous bright spot in dark times has been the country’s flourishing craft wine movement, which seems to have taken on greater cultural significance in the midst of the war. Since the Russian invasion, 35 new wineries have popped up (some having relocated out of conflict zones), making for a total of 160 producers throughout the country.

Powered by defiance and resolve, Ukrainian producers have become increasingly reliant on international markets to stay afloat. Stakhovsky Wines, along with two other notable estates, Beykush Winery and Château Chizay, are now available in the U.S. with the launch of a new importer, Vyno Ukrainy.

“I’m amazed by the courage and determination of Ukrainian producers,” said Vyno Ukrainy founder Bruce Schneider, a longtime wine industry veteran based in New York. Schneider traveled to Ukraine in 2019 to visit Pereiaslav, south of Kiev, where his maternal grandparents were born. There he discovered many dynamic wine producers. “The country’s wine industry is entering a new chapter of diverse terroirs and rediscovery of local grapes. And right now, there are so many people who want to show support for the Ukrainian people.”

Evidence dates winemaking in Ukraine back 2,800 years ago in the Odessa region. The industry stagnated under Soviet rule, and during former president Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1980s campaign to reduce alcoholism, many of Ukraine’s most historic vineyards were ripped out. As with many former Soviet republics that gained independence in 1991, Ukraine had to resurrect its wine industry from scratch. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 was another blow, as half the nation’s wineries were located there, in soils where ancient Greeks once cultivated vines.

Beykush Winery is located along the Black Sea coastline in the Mykolaiv region near Odessa, which was attacked in the first days of the war. The area is still under Ukrainian control but sits near the border of Russian-occupied territory and suffers regular bombardment.

Svitlana Tsybak, CEO of Beykush and head of the Ukrainian Craft Winemaker Association, said that it was too dangerous to leave the winery for the first few months of the war. They have since resumed work in the vineyards and adjusted to the new normal. “There is still a lot of shelling, but our vineyards are just out of the range of the rockets, so they can’t be hit,” she explained.

The historic Prince Trubetskoi Winery in the nearby Kherson region was not as lucky: The famous 128-year-old winery was heavily damaged by Russian bombs, and the vineyards remain full of landmines, so they sit neglected. (There is a project underway to fund its future reconstruction, reported Schneider.)

Beykush, nestled on a peninsula encircled by water, is a wine creation conglomerate founded more than ten years ago by Eugene Shneyderis, a Ukrainian tech guru. The establishment’s repertoire comprises a vast collection of both imported and regional grape varieties, namely Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from France, and Albariño and Tempranillo from Spain. Additionally, some native Ukrainian breeds such as Telti-Kuruk, Saperavi, and Rkatsiteli are also used for crafting blends.

The origin of the Telti-Kuruk grape breed remains uncertain with conjectures pointing towards Turkey as its place of genesis. Nevertheless, certain historical sources reveal that the grape might have been brought from Armenia and planted in Ukraine during the Ottoman era.

Prior to the war, Beykush owners sold their wines only within national borders. However, Tsybak now exports approximately 40% of their production to foreign markets, which are deemed critical for their survival. Their wines, she believes, serve as ambassadors projecting their resilience against adversities.

Stakhovsky Wines and Chizay, standing at a relatively secured distance from the escalating violence, are located in the Zakarpattia region of Western Ukraine, proximate to the Hungary and Slovakia borders. Stakhovsky, originally a teetotaler, developed a liking for wines during his tenue at the Bordeaux tennis club team, Villa Primrose, which is sponsored by reputable châteaus such as Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Brion, and d’Yquem. Subsequently, his taste for wines inspired him to found his estate in the limestone-rich foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. At this juncture, he felt as if he had “one foot in Bordeaux”.

The second vintage of his wine, the ACE Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, saw a boost in quality thanks to the infusion of French oak barrels from a top St.-Julien producer. This refined and sophisticated wine is sure to win over enthusiasts of Napa reds. He is also venturing into the realm of orange wine with the subtly sweet Traminer OW 2022, where OW stands for “walkover,” in keeping with his tradition of naming wines after tennis terms.

In 2022, when Stakhovsky returned to military service, logistical duties for the winery fell to his brother. Their survival, he explained, hinged on exports, which made up 60 percent of their sales in the previous year. The solidarity shown by people beyond their borders is heartening – case in point, a bunch of Estonians who, while returning from humanitarian aid delivery, tried to illicitly transport a truck loaded with wine for sale in their homeland.

As a member of the National Guard’s elite division, Stakhovsky frequently alternates between the frontlines, with his duties ranging from ground combat, street patrolling in Eastern Ukraine, working in a mortar unit, to executing anti-terrorism activities. Several Ukrainian cities have met with devastation under his watch. He says, “We’re doing all we can to hold them back, for now.”

The thought of the fate of his winery if Ukraine loses the war deeply upsets him. “It would all be in vain,” he admitted. After all, the whole idea behind this venture was to introduce Ukrainians to the high-quality wine their nation could produce. There wouldn’t be any point to it if they lost the war, he sadly reflected.

In that grim scenario, he sees his career as a soldier extending indefinitely, as he’s convinced the fight will move elsewhere. “Ukraine is not the target. [Russia] wants to go back to the old borders, so that means Poland, Georgia, the Baltic states—all of it,” he said, in reference to what he believes are Putin’s true imperialistic ambitions. “If I’m not fighting them here, I’ll be fighting them in Budapest.”

Still, the wine produced at his and other Ukrainian wineries remains more important than ever, he asserts. “We still carry much hope that we will win. But if we don’t, these bottles will be proof that we existed. They will carry wine that was made in Ukraine by Ukrainian people with Ukrainian grapes. Even after we drink them, the empty bottles will still say ‘Made in Ukraine.’”

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!