The wine Russia tried to eliminate – and Ukraine is turning into a symbol of freedom

Ukraine continues to produce and export wine despite the war, while winegrowers and sommeliers are betting on the recovery of an ancient tradition to reinforce national identity and pave the way for Ukrainian labels in European markets

When Sergiy Klimov talks about wine, his enthusiasm is contagious — even for those who don’t have a particularly refined palate.

Since 2014, Sergiy Klimov has been one of the great advocates of Ukrainian wine in many ways.

It runs a chain of wine bars in Kiev, the capital, where it only serves wine produced in Ukraine. He is an informal ambassador for Ukrainian wine, promoting it abroad. And now he has his own vineyard in the village of Zarichanka, in the west of the country, where he experiments with new ways of growing grapes and making wine.

By sharing Ukrainian wine, Sergiy Klimov feels that he is preserving and deepening a tradition linked to his ancestral land for thousands of years.

“It became my mission,” he says. “I want to bring a revolution to the industry.”

Along with neighboring countries Moldova and Romania, and others in the region such as Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ukraine has been fertile soil for wine for millennia. Archaeological excavations have revealed ancient Greek wine-making vessels, while fossilized remains of grape species found elsewhere date back to between the 11th and 9th centuries BC.

Perhaps best known, Crimea was home to vineyards planted at the foot of the mountains in the south of the peninsula. After Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, many of these vineyards were lost and, in some cases, mined and destroyed by Russian forces, says Anna Eugenia Yanchenko, a Ukrainian cultural scientist, sommelière and researcher specializing in the history of wine in her country.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its forces have destroyed even more wineries, including Château Kurin in the south and ARTWINERY in the eastern city of Donetsk, says Anna Yanchenko. Others, such as Prince Trubetskoy Winery in the south and Wineidea in the Kiev region, have gone through periods of occupation.

The country’s wine production capacity has been dramatically reduced, but Sergiy Klimov and others are determined to not only keep the industry alive, but to make it thrive.

Their efforts are motivated, in part, by the desire to reinforce Ukrainian national identity in the face of Russia’s attempts to deny the country’s sovereignty.

Now living in Warsaw, Poland, Anna Yanchenko says that little is known about who planted the first vines, millennia ago, in the territory that is now Ukraine — but what matters is that it happened and that production continues.

“Since wine appeared, the process of growing grapes and consuming wine has never stopped here,” he says.

Another active voice defending the industry is Tania Olevska, who left Ukraine for London in July 2022, five months after the large-scale invasion. After a few years working in the wine sector in his country, he decided to create the Ukrainian Wines Company UK, focused on importing Ukrainian wines to the United Kingdom. Participates in wine fairs and exhibitions that many producers, still in Ukraine, are no longer able to attend.

“In the beginning, the wines were rejected,” Olevska recalls of attempts to spark interest. But that changed after a Ukrainian producer sent two boxes to be tasted at events. “In 2023, we had the opportunity to present our wines at the London Wine Fair. Several producers came and there was enormous interest from professionals. They liked the wines”, he says.

For enthusiast Sergiy Klimov, this is no surprise. “Our territory is super unique,” ​​he says, explaining how the diversity of the Ukrainian landscape favors complex and interesting flavors. “We have black soils, limestone, volcanic soil and more than 400 grape varieties”, he adds.

Victoria Daskal, a wine critic and trainer in London, believes that the increase in imports of Ukrainian wine to the UK is partly due to war awareness, but also to the diversity of the British market. “Many consumers are surprised to learn that Ukraine is a wine-producing country, but they are interested in exploring new regions,” he says.

Still, Ukrainian producers have a long way to go to increase the notoriety of their wines, both abroad and at home.

Sergiy Klimov and Anna Yanchenko explain how the Soviet era limited the sector, favoring quantity over quality.

Before that, the Russian Empire had failed to combat vine phylloxera—an aphid-like pest that attacks vine roots—causing heavy losses in Ukraine, as in the rest of 19th-century Europe. For centuries, wine production was affected by political instability: parts of the territory were under the rule of Lithuania, Poland and Russia between the 14th and 18th centuries, before falling completely under Russian control.

In the 20th century, the Soviets nationalized everything. Wine continued to be produced, but private wineries were destroyed and replaced by mass production, without concern for quality. The reputation of Ukrainian wine sank quickly, says Anna Yanchenko.

Now, in the midst of a new war, Ukraine is committed to defending its identity as a sovereign nation — an identity that Russia seeks to erase in the occupied territories, several human rights organizations denounce.

This attempt at erasure echoes the Soviet era, when the Moscow regime controlled the historical narrative. “My parents didn’t learn much about the history of our land at school,” says Anna Yanchenko. “We know so little about who we are. But through discoveries like the true history of wine, we are slowly putting together the pieces of a larger puzzle: ‘Who are the Ukrainians?'”

Perhaps that’s why, when Sergiy Klimov saw an opportunity to involve his neighbors in wine production, he didn’t let it slip away.

“Kiev is the capital of vertical vineyards,” he says, describing how vines — many planted at the beginning of the 20th century — still climb the facades of buildings in certain areas of the city.

At the end of 2023, he launched the challenge to his neighbors: gather and donate grapes grown on the streets of Kiev. In a short time, they had collected 200 kilos of grapes.

The result was 100 bottles of natural, low-intervention wine, bottled and sold with a label created by Ukrainian artist Waone. “It’s like a work of art that has never existed before,” says Sergiy Klimov.

All proceeds from sales were donated to funds supporting the Ukrainian armed forces, he assured.

“It is important to show that Ukraine is a country of wine. It has ancient roots, with wine in our streets,” he said, adding that he hopes to turn this community effort into an annual tradition.

Anna Yanchenko wants the work she and Sergiy Klimov do to promote Ukrainian wines at home and abroad to help redefine Ukraine’s image.

“It serves as a bridge, connecting us to other nations by offering a flavor of our history, our traditions and the uniqueness of our land,” he says.
“It’s a way to reconnect with our roots and proudly share what makes Ukraine truly special.”

Despite some people’s doubts, Sergiy Klimov says that many Ukrainians are now beginning to prefer national products over international labels.

After participating in wine fairs in Düsseldorf, London and other European cities, Sergiy Klimov claims to have also noticed a change in the taste of foreign consumers, with more curiosity in discovering Ukrainian wine regions.

For Olevska, the appeal goes far beyond the war: “People should try Ukrainian wines not just because of the war, not just because of this pain, but because it is a good wine, of great quality, and deserves to be on the table.”

Sergiy Klimov feels that investing his time and knowledge in this industry is also a way to support his country’s war effort.

“When you support Ukraine’s economy, you support Ukraine’s culture — and that’s one small step that anyone, anywhere in the world, can take for Ukraine.”