Ukrainian winemakers, as well as representatives of the wine industry will hold the international forum Odessa Wine Week on May 25-29.

The event will unite the efforts of the Ukrainian wine-making community aimed at developing the Ukrainian wine market, wine and gastronomic tourism, popularizing and promoting the Ukrainian Wine brand and the integration of Ukraine into the world wine community.

This was announced by the organisers of the event: Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Ukrsadvinprom public organisation, Bella Khanameryan, head of the Expo-Yug-Service projects, and Oksana Tkachenko, head of the wine technology and sensory analysis department of the Odesa National Academy of Food Technologies.

According to Pechko, his association organises an annual forum, which was first held this year in Odessa, since this site allows to gather the leading experts of the wine industry, scientists, oenologists, winemakers, government officials, national and foreign wine associations, tourism industry, HoReCa and retail, sommeliers, journalists, wine traders and producers of related products and technologies to popularize Ukrainian wines.

Last year, one could taste 305 samples from 65 wineries in Ukraine. That is, in one place you can taste Ukrainian wines: craft winemakers, medium-sized producers with vineyards of 40-60 hectares, and large producers from all over Ukraine.

Volodymyr Pechko, head of Ukrsadvinprom

The organiser of the forum, Bella Khanameryan, specified that this year 30 companies have become partners of the event. In addition, 87 speakers and experts from 18 countries spoke at Odessa Wine Week 2021, profile reports and discussions were held on 40 topics, over 3,000 people attended the event.

According to her, in 2022, projects were announced at the forum, including talks about wine and Ukraine's integration into the world wine community Wine Future Forum, as well as the Odessa Wine & Spirit Awards competition.

In 2022 we will have a creative competition for the best label. We will have a sailing regatta, a special program "Women in Winemaking," evening performances, musical and artistic performances, exhibitions, biennials, everything that can be shown in the culture of drinking, pay attention to wine as part of the cultural code of the country.

Bella Khanameryan, head of the Expo-Yug-Service projects

According to Oksana Tkachenko, Ukrainian industry representatives see recognition in other countries of the world among their strategic goals.

We already see interest from our closest neighbours, we are waiting for delegations from such countries such as Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, who will not only come to show themselves, but we are preparing educational projects for them, within which they will visit wineries and participate in educational project in B2B and B2C formats.

Oksana Tkachenko, Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies.

Ihor Vishtak, the director of the agrarian development department of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine said that his department has already allocated UAH 450 million of compensation to support horticulture, viticulture and hop-growing in 2021, of which UAH 200 million for planting material, the construction of trellises for growing climbing plants and drip irrigation (of which - UAH 9 million for viticulture), and UAH 250 million - for the construction and reconstruction of facilities for these crops (including UAH 19 million - for the construction of facilities and the purchase of wine-making lines).