Odessa is one of the best places in the world for quality drinking. Wine particularly, and especially over the last decade, a substantial inflow of local wines.
Large wine importers in Western Europe are focusing on the Black Sea and surrounding region, identifying and listing an increasing number of new wines. This emerging trend is also evident amongst other retailers. Problems faced by such innovative retailers are perhaps not so much the wines themselves but convincing western consumers, who currently have a huge choice of wines from more accustomed sources, to try them. Within this problem, there is the very significant issue of many of the grape names not only being unknown to them, but also unpronounceable. Given that many western consumers buy wine on grape and familiarity, it might well be difficult to persuade people to buy an unknown, unpronounceable grape from an unfamiliar country.
The Black Sea region is rightly considered one of the oldest wine regions in Ukraine. The ancient Greeks primarily appreciated its favourable terrain for viticulture. Plain winemaking allows you to grow mainly table varieties and varieties suitable for the production of ordinary table wines.
Even the ancient Romans believed that grapes grown on an inclined plane give a better harvest. Odessa, Nikolayev and part of Kherson regions are characterized by mild winters, which is very important for heat-loving vines. In particular it is on the border of the Northern Black Sea coast that the border of undisguised industrial culture passes. Warm and moderately humid autumn promotes normal development and ripeness of grapes, dry periods before harvesting allow to obtain high quality grapes.
Koblevo
The company produces more than 80 varieties of wines. These are table wines: dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet, fortified, which are divided into strong and dessert, sparkling and vermouth. Koblevo wines are exported to Poland, Turkey, Georgia and Norway.
The production uses state-of-the-art equipment and European innovations. The main volume of Koblevo wine is stored without aging in barrels. This is an ordinary table wine. However, now the company has a small stock of oak barrels, which are maintained in the new positions of wines “Koblevo”.
Inkerman
The history of Inkerman wines began in 1961, when “Inkerman Plant of Vintage Wines” was founded. The history of Inkerman wines began in 1961, when “Inkerman Plant of Vintage Wines” was founded.
Nowadays, LLC Inkerman Ukraine produces still and sparkling wines under the Inkerman brand for sale in Ukraine. Still wines are produced in the town of Nova Kakhovka, and sparkling wines are produced in the city of Odessa. Only the best wine materials of Ukrainian and imported origin are used for production of wines. The company fully controls the harvesting, transportation, processing, fermentation and bottling of wines.
Vintrest
“Vintrest” is a wine company with a full production cycle. Winery complex was built in 2005 using modern production technologies. All equipment supplied by leading manufacturers — France, Italy and Hungary.
In 2014, the company registered its own trademark “Grande Vallee” (Ukrainian: Гранд Вале) – a trademark of dry tabel wines of the Ukrainian winery. Currently, Grande Vallee is the only brand that produces this winery.
Prince Trubetskoi Winery
The first vineyards of one of the oldest and most famous wineries in Ukraine were laid in the estate “Kozatske” (Kherson province) in 1896. Prince Lev Golitsyn, the chief winemaker of the Russian Empire, selected lands for plantations and grape varieties for Prince Trubetskoy.
The major grape varieties on vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Aligote. All saplings have been imported from Italy and France. It is the quality grapes that give wine its subtle and elegant qualities that become apparent in its taste and aroma.
Guliev Wines
The Guliev family is an example of a fourth-generation dynasty of winegrowers and winemakers. Their vineyards and a plant built in 2008 based on the model of the best wineries in Europe are here, in the south of Odessa region.
The wines are aged in 295 American and French oak barrels. White wines are aged for 9 months, red wines are aged for 12 months.
Kolonist
For almost 15 years of the existence of winery, the Kolonist conquered the hearts of Ukrainians, demanding English and sophisticated French. Today, the Kolonist wine has become the hallmark of the diplomatic corps of Ukraine and delights the Ukrainian diaspora and even the descendants of the German colonists from Bessarabia in distant Canada.
The winery focuses its attention on high-quality dry wines as well as produces semi-dry and sweet wines. Kolonist produces approximately 280 000 bottles per year, which allows to pay more attention to the quality of wine and adopt new technologies and innovations.
Beykush winery
The idea of a winemaking arose in 2010. Following the path from soil analytics, solstice and seedling selection, in 2012 the first vineyard was laid on Cape Beykush, the banks of which are washed on one side by the Berezan estuary and on the other by the Bay of Beykush.
Production capacity reaches 24 thousand liters per year. Aging in 64 barrels of French, American and Ukrainian oak.
“Kurin” Family winery
In 1992, Mykola Khalupenko, an agrarian by profession, was allocated 50 hectares of land for the organization of a peasant farm. In 2000, a garden and the first vineyards were established.
Ecological approach to production, only bioorganics. Toxic substances are not used. The wine is aged in oak barrels, only 70 barrels.
Don Alejandro Winery
The winery was founded in 2005. The owner of the Don Alejandro Winery — Alexander Shapovalov — is a creative and charismatic boutique winemaker.
Art in everything from wine styling to label design. Alcoholic beverage production license was obtained in 2016. Production capacity: 167 thousand liters per year. Bottling — from 20 to 40 thousand bottles. The wine is aged in oak barrels of Portuguese oak.
Vinkhol Oksamytne
Vinkhol Oksamytne Enterprise was founded in 1998 in the territory where Count Davidov’s vineyard was located 120 years ago. The total area of the vineyards is almost 1000 hectares, of which 540 hectares are own.
The company has its own brands «Tintarella», «Villa Tinta», «Vinkhol» and «Odessa Black». Production reaches up to 400,000 bottles a year, most of them are exported to Romania and Germany.
Shabo
The company was founded in 2003 on the basis of the oldest winemaking in Ukraine. The wine-making traditions of this region were laid in ancient times, and cultural winemaking was developed by the Swiss settlers who founded the winery settlement here in 1822.
The structure of the company includes «Shabo Wine House», «Shabo Sparkling Wine House», «Cognac Shabo House». Production is 15 million liters per year.
SliVino
The winery is located in the historic area. From 1900 to 1917 Anatoly Bredikhin founded one of the largest wine chateau in Mykolaiv region. The area of the vineyards is 6 hectares. Soils: red clay, sandstone. The amount of vine per 1 ha from 2600 to 3300 shrubs.
Production capacity is 2000 liters per year. Aged in Ukrainian oak barrels.
Babchuk Winery
The family winery “Babchuk Winery” by Leonid Babchuk is located on the granite cliffs of the Southern Bug River in the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk. For over 10 years winemaker Leonid has been producing first-class wines from the following grape varieties: Chardonnay, Cabernet, Alibarnet and others.
Maryan Shevchenko’s Winery
The family winery of Maryan and Natalia Shevchenko dates back to 2012. The area of vineyards is 0.5 hectares. The density of planting blades reaches 3200 bushes per 1 hectare. Production volume is about 2-3 thousand liters per year.
V.Petrov Winery
V.Petrov Winery was founded in 2003. The family winery is headed by Valery Petrovich Petrov. By 2003, the Petrov family gradually began to take the first steps to produce their own wine. In 1993, a farm of 40 ha of industrial grape varieties was organized.
Density — 4000 bushes per 1 ha. The age of the vine is 15 years.
To be continued …
Read more: