About 70 new wineries appear in Ukraine during war years
About 70 new wineries appeared in Ukraine during the war years, the prerequisite for which was a significant improvement in legislation, said Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Association of Gardeners, Grape Growers and Winemakers of Ukraine.
"Over the past 4.5 years, thanks to improvements in legislation and climate changes, the number of wineries in Ukraine has increased by 70%. The estimated figure is about 70 new enterprises. They have come out of the shadows, started paying taxes, and officially hired employees. Small chateaux have begun to develop in Ukraine. Such small wineries have never existed in the country — neither during Soviet times nor in the years of independence," he said during the Agro2Food exhibition.
The head of the industry association recalled that previously, obtaining a license for wine production required paying about UAH 500,000. After the transition to a simplified registration procedure for wineries, the process became much more affordable, and now anyone who wishes can obtain a license within two weeks.
Following the boom in the establishment of small domestic chateaux, the expert noted, winemakers began to face a shortage of raw materials and, consequently, of vineyard plantings.
According to Pechko, there are currently about 20,000 hectares of vineyards in Ukraine, 5,000 of which were planted during the war. This statistic does not include the occupied territories in Crimea, as well as Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
The head of the association explained that global warming has given Ukrainian viticulturists the opportunity to establish vineyards in regions not traditionally suitable for grape cultivation. As an example, he cited Kyiv region, where around ten licensed wineries are operating. These enterprises grow raw materials locally in Kyiv region and purchase additional volumes from Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
He noted that Ukrainian winemakers are forced to actively import foreign spirits, mainly from Moldova and Georgia, where viticulture is more developed.
Pechko also said that the creation of an isotope analysis laboratory in Odesa region has had a positive impact on the industry. The laboratory allows enterprises to test their wine materials, helping wineries produce higher-quality products.