In the new year of the Wine Travel Awards, we uncork Ukrainian star wines of the latest time
The new year of the Wine Travel Awards project started on November 1. And instead of breezes of champagne, in this difficult time for the whole world, the editors celebrated the significant date with the new issue of WTA Guide. Ukraine. It includes a selection of 5 new stars which we bring to the attention of the readers of our website. Please note: the editorial selection includes wineries that are very different in concept yet unbeatable in style, quality and a modern approach, which makes them a signature segment in the winemaking of Ukraine. And, of course, they are all members of the Wine Travel Awards community, which unites the world’s most progressive wineries. By the way, join us: the registration of nominees for the WTA second edition has already begun
Location: Husyatyn, Ternopil region
Production volume: 23,000 bottles per year
Own vineyards: 4 hectares
Age of vines: 12 years
In 2010, entrepreneur Volodymyr Buyachok planted an experimental vineyard in order to test the winemaking potential of the Ternopil region. And after a few years, he started producing wine. In 2018, the founder of the winery passed away. But he left behind the idea of modern craft winemaking, which was picked up by his children and wife. They turned his hobby into a successful business. The wine was named after their father – Father’s Wine VB. Their wines are distinguished not only by taste and quality, but also by special labels that have received the Red Dot: Best of the Best award for wine packaging. This award was given to a Ukrainian brand for the first time. Father’s Wine VB this year also became a nominee of the Wine Travel Awards in the nomination The Visiting Card of the Country. The owners hold tastings in restaurants, receive small groups of visitors to the winery. Soon, the estate will equip a tasting area and open its doors to full-scale wine tourism. Varieties grown on their own vineyard: Jupiter, Johanniter, Muscat Ottonel, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Helios, Dublyansky. Merlot, Cabernet, Odesa Black are purchased in the Odesa region.
Wines to notice
Rozhevy Kvadrat is a fresh, rich, bright rosé, one of the most popular wines of this winery. Variety: Jupiter. The aroma includes red currant, strawberry, barberry, duchess pear, and raspberry.
Burshtynove Kolo is an amber wine made from Muscat Ottonel, 50% aging in oak barrels for 7 months and 50% aging in clay amphora for 7 months. The aroma is a mixture of citrus fruits, dried fruits, honey, dried flowers, and some spices.
Lytse – Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in oak for 6 months. The aroma includes blackcurrants, blackberries, cherries, black pepper, spices, and a little vanilla. Full body, round tannins, peasant earthy finish.
Photo: Father’s Wine VB
Location: Muzhievo, Transcarpathian region
Production volume: 60,000 bottles per year
Own vineyards: 22.5 hectares
Stakhovsky Wines is a winery founded by the famous Ukrainian tennis champion, Serhiy Stakhovsky. Serhiy’s first acquaintance with Great Wines took place in Bordeaux, and they have had a great influence on him.
Stakhovsky’s vineyards can easily compete to be the most beautiful in Transcarpathia. A lot of effort has been invested into them. Many vines had to be uprooted and new ones planted, the soil was cultivated for more than two years: transplanted, replanted, and watered. This terroir, lying on on the southwestern slopes of the mountain, has a special, very warm microclimate which allows growing even the most capricious varieties, both white and red.
Varieties: Traminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Saperavi,
Zweigelt.
The first Stakhovsky wines were created from the 2018 vintage. Their style is elegant,
restrained and at the same time powerful, just like his tennis.
Stakhovsky Wines tasting room is located among picturesque vineyards. Over 3 thousand tourists visited the location in the last 2 years. The winery was a nominee of the Wine Travel Awards 2021-2022 in the category The Visiting Card of the Country. The collection includes red dry wines (aged at least 10 months in French oak) as well as dry whites and orange wines. Stakhovsky Wines Merlot 2019, Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 and Saperavi 2018 presented at the Wines of Ukraine stand, organized by Drinks+ magazine at the initiative of the London Wine Fair-2021 were highly estimated by the international experts.
Varieties: Merlot, Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Traminer, Chardonnay, Zweigelt, Riesling. The plans include the cultivation of Fourmint and Pinot Noir vines. Awards: Saperavi Ace 2018 – silver from Odesa Wine & Spirit Awards-2021, Merlot Ace 2019 – silver from Ukrainian Wine Festival 2021.
Wines to notice
Riesling Orange OW 2021, unfiltered, from the Rhein Riesling variety. Hand picking, natural
fermentation on the skin for 19 days, manual pressing three times a day. Only 1,820 bottles
were produced from 3,400 kg of grapes. Aroma: dried apricots, – fruit and herbal tea. The taste is mild, with a slight note of honey and vivid acidity.
Merlot ACE 2019, aged 24 months in French oak. Aroma: dried cherry, tobacco, spices. Taste: full-bodied, plum, spices. Circulation: 4932 bottles.
Photo: Stakhovsky Wines, Arsen Fedosenko
Location: Ovidiopol district, Odesa region
Production volume: 65,000 bottles per year
46 Parallel Wine Group was founded in 2020. The founders, Anna and Taras Gorkun, dreamed of creating wines that would be good enough to represent Ukraine worldwide. And they have succeeded in this. The company’s credo sounds like “Proudly Ukrainian” and proud they should be. The wines of 46 Parallel Wine Group, a nominee of the Wine Travel Awards in the nomination The Visiting Card of the Country, have been recognized by many prestigious international competitions. The total number of awards in the two years of existence of 46 Parallel Wine Group has reached 100!
46 Parallel Wine Group presents two premium collections — Grand Admiral and El Capitan, as well as a more democratic Apostrophe collection. The wine company buys the best grapes grown on the 46th “winemaking parallel” in the south of Ukraine, in the Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. Today, most of these territories are under Russian shelling or under occupation. But Anna and Taras maintain the team and continue to work both for the domestic wine lover and for export.
Varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Saperavi, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Bastardo, Rhenish Riesling, Odesa Black.
Awards: Grand Admiral Saperavi, 2018 – Silver, Grand Admiral Brut Nature Rose, 2019 – Bronze from Berlin International Wine Competition 2022. Grand Admiral Brut Nature 2018 – Silver, Grand Admiral Brut Nature Rose 2019 – Silver, El Capitan Brut 2019 – Silver and El Capitan Brut Rose 2021 – silver from the London Wine Competition 2022. Grand Admiral Merlot – Cabernet Sauvignon – gold, Grand Admiral Merlot – silver from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2021. Twelve medals from the International WINE & SPIRITS Ukraine 2021 competition.
Wines to notice
Grand Admiral Brut Nature 2018 is a sparkling wine made by the classic method with aging on the lees for at least 26 months. It opens with aromas of ripe yellow and white peach, apricot and tangerine, enhanced by tons of pineapple and carambola, followed by hints of vanilla, brioche, toffee and honey. The taste is balanced, with a delicate mousse and elegant aging notes.
El Capitan Pinot Noir 2019 is a dry red wine. Rich aroma with notes of ripe cherry, black cherry, blackberry and blueberry jam, with delicate vanilla nuances and delicate tones of barrel aging. The taste is harmonious with a pleasant balance of acidity, mature tannins and a long aftertaste of ripe berries.
Photo: 46 Parallel Wine Group
My Wine by Eduard Horodetsky
Location: Roksolany, Odesa region
Own vineyards: planting of 10 hectares is planned.
Eduard Horodetsky is a winemaker by profession, but for many years he worked as the director of the Shustov Odesa brandy factory. He created his first wine in June 2021. Horodetsky’s family winery has not been officially opened yet, because of the war. In November 2020, the winemaker bought a plot of land with an old, half-ruined house, which he dreamed of turning into a chateau. In a few months, the aging cellar, the tasting room, and the roof were replaced. It was planned to open the winery for visitors on May 7, but the war changed all plans. Eduard Horodetsky is currently actively engaged in volunteer activities and support of the Ukrainian army.
Horodetsky’s first wines have been welcomed warmly by wine experts and connoisseurs. There were 4 wines in the first release — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The winemaker himself considers Rosé and Merlot to be the most successful. Rosé, in particular, scores highly on Vivino.
Horodetsky makes wines from grapes that grow in Bessarabia, Izmail and Bolgrad regions: there is the most sun, and the berries ripen best. Varieties My Wine works with: Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. In addition to still wines, this year the winemaker made sparkling wines for the first time – white and rosé brut.
Awards: Merlot my Wine Eduard Gorodetsky – silver Ukraine Wine & Spirits Awards 2021 in Kyiv.
Wines to notice
Merlot my Wine Eduard Gorodetsky. Aroma: cherries, plums and red berries. Taste: rich, velvety, fruity notes, long, pleasant aftertaste.
Chardonnay my Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky is fresh, light, and has a pleasant light straw color. Aroma: apple, tropical fruits, fresh herbs. The taste is refreshing with light tones of vanilla, ripe fruits and white flowers.
Photo: My Wine, Arsen Fedosenko
AXIS Wine
Location: Lviv
Production volume: 5,000 bottles per year
Own vineyards: 1 ha
AXIS Wine is a young but very successful craft winery founded in 2017 by business partners Dmytro Kopiy and Serhiy Urbanovskyi. It is located in Lviv, but the vineyard is in Southern Bessarabia, Odesa region, near Izmail. AXIS winemakers work with European grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet, Odesa Black, Saperavi and others. Dmytro and Serhiy are real perfectionists. This is reflected in the purity and high quality of their wines and even in the branding of the winery.
The owners of AXIS Wine plan to expand production and open a tasting room. Plans, like those of many other Ukrainian winemakers, were somewhat delayed because of the war. But we hope that soon Dmytro and Serhiy will welcome guests at the stylish, modern urban AXIS winery.
Awards: more than 10 gold and silver medals from reputable Ukrainian tasting competitions – Ukraine Wine & Spirits, Odesky Zalyv, Halytska Loza, Wine Guide of Ukraine, etc.
Wines to notice
A perfectly balanced, refined and at the same time quite full-bodied, floral-citrus-gooseberry Riesling, Chardonnay sur lie, as well as an extremely subtle and interesting red dry Pinot Noir.
Axis Wine Pinot Noir Barrique, aged 6 months in French oak. Deep ruby color. Aroma: wild berries, pomegranate, cherry marmalade. Taste: rounded, with pleasant acidity and soft tannins, lengthy finish.
Saturday Dream Passito 2019 – a blend of Merlot 60% (ripened), Saperavi 20% and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%. Barrique, aged at least 12 months in French oak barrels. A full-bodied wine with good acidity. Raisins, prunes, figs, cherry stones in the aroma. Alcohol 15%.
Photo: Arsen Fedosenko / Kyiv Food and Wine Festival and AXIS Wine Facebook