Heart of Wine repost:

WINEMAKERS AT WAR (linked to original website in Ukrainian) Originally published

Author: Nadiya Majevska

January 21, 2023

Russia's war in Ukraine changed the life of Ukrainian winemakers. It didn't destroy or break it, but it pushed someone to volunteer, someone to rethink their business, gave someone a weapon. These people in the pixel modestly believe that they are not doing anything heroic: only what they should. We talked to them. Three stories from winemakers in military uniform.

"If it weren't for the war, I would spend half my time at the winery"

Serhiy Stakhovsky is a former tennis player, and now a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a volunteer and a winemaker. He joined the ranks of Ukrainian defenders in the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. Serhii says that the most difficult thing for him in the service is the lack of contact with relatives and situations for which you cannot be prepared, because this is a real war. But you can get used to it.

" What you cannot get used to in war is human grief. This is the most difficult. I'm alive, and that's the main thing, says the warrior.

Serhii says: if it weren't for the war, he would spend half of his time at the winery. There was never a desire to leave winemaking, but at the beginning of the war the situation was unclear. At the winery, they were thinking about whether it would be possible to continue the business. Instead, at the end of the year, they achieved great numbers. Last year we harvested a good harvest, and we also managed to find new partners abroad. And although winemakers have always focused on the Ukrainian consumer, export has become a lifesaver for the company. The fact that the war year passed positively gave hope for the future. When there is an opportunity, Serhii comes and personally hosts gastro dinners. At these events, you can chat with him, hear about Ukrainian wine and taste it. Serhiy does not hide that people still come to these dinners more "for the person, not for the wine", but he hopes that one day it will be the other way around. Nowadays, gastro dinners have become different: with stories about the war and notes of sadness. The last meetings in different cities of Ukraine took place last year in December. They are planning the same in the new year.

In one of the interviews, Serhiy said that he would drink wine after the Victory. He tells us humorously:

" After the Victory, we will not just drink wine, we will drink wine and give it to everyone

He is 100% sure that there will be Victory, the only question is when:

" I wish it was faster, because the longer we fight, the more we lose

STAKHOVSKY WINES is the winery of the legendary Ukrainian tennis player Serhii Stakhovsky. Having once tasted wine in France, Serhiy decided to develop winemaking in Ukraine. He leased 20 hectares of land in Transcarpathia and began growing Merlot, Saperavi and Traminer rosé. In 2018, the newly minted winemaker harvested his first harvest.

"Wine is a living product, energetic, it is felt by the winemaker"

Maryan Shevchenko is a winemaker, he went to the Military Commissariat in the first days of the full-scale invasion, and left the winery to his wife Natalya. The wines, which are kept in oak barrels, finished piling on February 19, just before the full-scale invasion began. Natalya received step-by-step instructions from her husband on what to do and when to do it. Maryan is still in local positions, and this year there was no season at the Shevchenko winery... In peacetime, Maryan was completely immersed in the process of wine production. He personally made the wine and controlled all the processes, and experimented with new grape varieties and production technologies every season. However, the war changed everything. Maryan refused Natalie's offer to make wine this season. Firstly, at that time he was not in Bilyaivka. Secondly, in his opinion, wine is a living product, energetic, it is felt by the winemaker.

Grapes produced very abundantly this year, although the vineyards were hardly cared for. It was distributed to people for homemade wine. The vineyard became a real salvation for Maryan: he came, walked between the rows, fixed something.

" "Maryan doesn't just miss winemaking, he misses the life that was filled with winemaking , " Nataliya says.

But even without the owner's hands, the winery continues to live. Wine tastings are held for guests in the summer and autumn-spring period in the gazebos. Small, up to twenty people. And although the process of preparation for tastings is not easy, they inspire both winemakers and visitors. Winemakers are especially happy when people come not for the first time.

" The tasting on Christmas Eve was especially warm: like a gathering with friends. I completely immersed myself in the tasting. I even forgot that the war was going on, although I don't forget about it even in my sleep, - Nataliya shares.

The next wine tastings are scheduled for February 14. Natalia hopes that her husband will be given at least a short vacation. Then they visit other winemakers: because it is extremely important to hear and talk about the fact that winemaking is alive.

The family winery of Maryan and Nataliya Shevchenko has its beginnings since 2012. Stainless steel containers and oak barrels are used for wine storage and aging. The family has a decorated cellar with a wine cellar. The winery is known for the fact that it was here in 2016 that the law on the cancellation of the wholesale license for producers of domestic wine was signed.

"Perhaps we will even drink all the wine for Victory"

Pavlo Magalyas is a winemaker, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a sapper. From the beginning of the war until the end of September, he was in territorial defense, now in the Armed Forces. Pavlo says that it is difficult to stay in place for a long time while the boys are already in the epicenter of events. It was easier to adapt to the war, because he has been fighting the Russian invasion since 2014. Although, in his opinion, it is impossible to completely get used to war.

" There is no panic now. But a person in war should have both fear and the instinct of self-preservation, says Pavlo.

While he was in the Armed Forces, he handed over affairs at the winery to his son. Pavlo tries to consult him remotely. There is less work now, more will come in the spring, but even then, hopefully, he will be able to give hints.

The "Olvia Nuvo" winery was shelled for a long time. Even foreign journalists came under fire, which increased significantly at the winery during the war. Debris of Russian rockets and casings lying on the fields and interfering with work were collected. Over time, a military museum will be built here.

" Someday it will go down in history, it will be interesting. Now it is not very interesting, because everyone has this "crap", Pavlo is sure.

The winery has been quiet since September. The owner admits that the war has reduced the number of customers, but "there is wine, and the wine is good." Odessa Black was the best. The war will end, and there will definitely be victory, the winemaker is convinced. And after that, he predicts a surge in wine sales.

" But maybe we will even drink all the wine for Victory, - jokes Pavlo.

Olvia Nuvo Winery was founded in 2013. The owner is Pavlo Magalyas. The family winery is located on the border with the National Historical and Archaeological Reserve "Olvia". Annual production volume is 20,000 liters. 15 oak barrels are used to age the wine.

So, the war continues, the country is fighting. These Ukrainian winemakers have already become heroes. And who, if not us, to help them, as well as those who did not give up, who did not abandon their beloved work: to support their own and their own.

Photo: Roman Zajac , Serhii Stakhovsky, bilyayivka.city, eimg.pravda