Ukrainian wine

Location of Ukraine

The wine industry of Ukraine is well-established with long traditions. Several brands of wine from Ukraine are exported to bordering countries, the European Union, and North America.

History

A wine culture existed in today's Ukraine already in the 4th century BC at the south coast of the Crimea. Presses and amphoras were found from this period. Wine cultivation in the northern part of the country (around Kiev and Chernihiv) however only started in the 11th century by monks.

Under Catherine II. (1729–1796) in 1783 the Crimea became a part of the Russian Empire. Count Mikhail Vorontsov planted the first wine gardens in 1820 and established a large winery near Yalta. The viticulture research institute Magarach was founded then in 1828. The founder of the famous sparkling wines is prince Lev Golitsyn, who for the first time manufactured Russian “Champagner” after the Crimean War (1854 to 1856) on his property Novyi Svet near Yalta. Later, under the last Tzar Nicholas II (1868–1918) the today's state winery of Massandra was founded. During Soviet times Ukraine with 2,500 km² (965 sq mi) was the largest supplier of the wines in the USSR. It came to a disaster in 1986: about 800 km² (309 sq mi) of the vineyards were destroyed, when Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev started a campaign for the delimitation of the consumption of alcohol in USSR. Since 2000 the production as well as the export of the wines increased rapidly.

Main vine-growing regions

• Crimea, Balaklava
• Bessarabia
• Carpathian Ruthenia
• Southern Ukraine: Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odessa Oblasts

Varietals

The main varietals are Aligoté, Muscat, Isabella, Traminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Fetească, Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Rkatsiteli.

White wines

• Aligoté: original wine. Color: from light-straw to golden one, pleasant fine, distinctive taste with a shade of violet.
• Pinot group (Pinot gris and Pinot blanc): Wine has golden shades and harmonious delicate taste.
• Riesling: after 1,5 years of seasoning it obtains the particular freshness, refinement, flower fragrance with the pleasant tints of fir and pine pitches.
• Chardonnay: The color is light gold shades.
• Traminer: Predominating shades of rose and dogrose leaves.

Red Wines

• Cabernet Sauvignon: King of red wines. Color is intensive dark-red.Full-bodied fragrance and taste of black currants, and black currants leaves.
• Merlot: With shades of sweet-cherry and/or cherry, the wine has long aftertaste.
• Pinot noir: full-bodied, oily wine. It is used as a base in blend wines.

Sparkling wine from Artemivsk

Sparkling wines

Production of sparkling wine like Sovetskoye Shampanskoye ('Soviet Champagne') is increasing. Most of the sparkling wine is produced around large cities like Kiev, Artemivsk, Lviv, Odessa and Kharkiv. Most of the production is based on Pinot blanc, Aligoté, Riesling and Feteasca.

Special wineries

• Magarach Wine Institute near Yalta with possibility to sample some of their 20,000 different wines derived from 3,200 vine species.
• Winery Massandra.

Specialised trade fairs

• High Degree - International Specialised Exhibition of Strong Alcoholic drinks
• Wine & Winemaking Specialised Exhibition for Wine, Winemaking and Wine growing

See also

• Konstantin Frank, a notable Ukrainian-American viticulturist and winemaker, who was responsible for developing the thriving viticulture and wine industry of New York State, using his experience of growing the European Vitis vinifera varietals in the colder climate of Ukraine.

References

• Weinbau in der Ukraine: Stand und Perspektiven, Business Guide Deutschland Ukraine 2011, author: Wellem Bougie
• Der ukrainische Weinmarkt birgt ein enormes Wachstumspotential, UKRAINEaktuell 12-2010, author: Wellem Bougie