Discovering the Wines of Ukraine

Oct 9

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

An inspiring tasting reveals the quality, diversity and resilience of Ukraine’s winemakers

Berkshire Branch recently enjoyed a fascinating introduction to the wines of Ukraine, a country whose wines were new to almost everyone present.

Special guest Svitlana Tsybak described the extraordinary challenges facing Ukraine’s wine industry and the determination of its producers to continue making high-quality wines despite the war. Just two weeks before our tasting, her company’s warehouse in Kyiv had been struck by a Russian drone.

The evening demonstrated the impressive breadth of Ukrainian winemaking, encompassing sparkling, white, orange, red and dessert wines, and featuring both indigenous and international grape varieties. Several of the wines had also been selected for a recent Decanter feature in which Masters of Wine assessed a wide range of Ukrainian wines.

The tasting was accompanied by an excellent main course and lemon posset, offering a memorable insight into a wine-producing country of remarkable diversity, ambition and resilience.

Svitlana Tsybak

Kolonist Estate, Bessarabia Beykush Vineyards

NOTABLE GUESTS

Svitlana Tsybak

CEO, Beykush Winery; CEO, Ukrainian Wine Company UK Ltd; Head of the Ukrainian Association of Craft Winemakers.

LIST OF WINES

Chateau Chizay Brut Carpathian Sekt — Chersegi; Charmat method; western Ukraine, near the Hungarian and Slovak borders.
Villa Tinta Sukholimanskiy 2024 — Sukholimanskiy (Odesa White; Chardonnay × Plavay); Odesa region, southern Ukraine.
Beykush Telti Kuruk 2025 — Telti Kuruk; Black Sea coast, southern Ukraine.
Biologist Renaissance 2024 — Chardonnay and Aligoté; Kyiv region, Ukraine.
Beykush Orange Wine — Rkatsiteli; Black Sea coast, southern Ukraine.
Villa Tinta Odesa Black — Odesa Black (Cabernet Sauvignon × Alicante Bouschet); Odesa region, southern Ukraine.
Beykush Pinotage — Pinotage; Black Sea coast, southern Ukraine.
Grand Valleé Saperavi — Saperavi; approximately 20 km from Odesa, southern Ukraine.
Chateau Chizay Late-Harvest Furmint — Furmint; western Ukraine, near the Hungarian and Slovak borders.