On July 29, a large professional tasting of Ukrainian wines by well-known international experts took place in Warsaw, Poland. This important project was initiated by Wines of Ukraine within the implementation of the international cooperation programme “EU4Business: SME Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalisation”, co-financed by EU and Germany.

The tasting commission consisted of 6 Masters of Wine: Wojciech Bonkowski (Poland), Sarah Abbot (Great Britain), Richard Bamfield (Great Britain), Caro Maurer (Germany), Cees van Casteren (Netherlands), Heidi Mäkinen (Finland). Among 91 samples of sparkling, white, red, rose, orange and sweet wines, 24 top wines were chosen. 

Which Ukrainian wines were presented to the tasting commission, and by which principle were they selected? Svitlana Tsybak, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Craft Winemakers, told us about the criteria that were applied for the initial selection: “Our task was to select no more than 100 wines for the Masters’ tasting. That is why we limited the number of wines from each participating winery: no more than 5 SKU. Since TOP24 wines will be sold in the Silpo retail chain and present Ukraine on international markets, the next criterion was the availability of at least 500 bottles for small winemakers and 1,500 bottles for large wineries for each position that participated in the tasting. That is, the primary selection is based not only on the quality criteria, but also has a serious business component”.

Here is the list of the winning wines that will be representing the avant-garde of Ukrainian winemaking domestically and internationally throughout the year: 

TOP 24

• Grande Vallée White Brut 2023 «Méthode Charmat» (Chardonnay 40%, Riesling 30%, Pinot Blanc 30%)
• Chateau Chizay Carpathian Sekt Rose Blaufränkisch Brut 2023 (Blaufränkisch 100%)
• Grande Vallée White Brut 2020 «Méthode Traditionnelle» (Chardonnay 50%, Pinot Blanc 25%, Pinot Meunier 25%)
• Kolonist Bisser Brut, Traditional Method (Chardonnay 100%)
• SHABO Chardonnay Reserve 2022 (Chardonnay 100%)
• Beykush Winery Telti-Kuruk 2023 (Telti-Kuruk 100%)
• Frumushika-Nova Muscat Ottonel Not Filtered 2022 (Muscat Ottonel 100%)
• Villa Tinta Sukholymansky Premium Collection 2022 (Sukholymansky 100%)
• Bolgrad Chardonnay Grand Reserve Collection 2022 (Chardonnay 100%)
• Frumushika-Nova Suholimanske Not Filtered 2023 (Sukholymansky 100%)
• SHABO Telti-Kuruk Grand Reserve 2022 (Telti-Kuruk 100%)
• Beykush Winery Arbina 2021 (Rkatsiteli 100%)
• Chateau Chizay Furmint Orange 2023 (Furmint 100%)
• Rose my Wine Eduard Gorodetsky 2023 (Pinot Noir 100%)
• Grande Vallée Saperavi Reserve 2022 (Saperavi 100%)
• SHABO Cabernet Merlot Grande Reserve 2022 (Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%)
• Beykush Winery Loca Deserta 2020 (Merlot 29%, Saperavi 28%, Malbec 15%, Cabernet Sauvignon 14%, Tempranillo 14%)
• 46 Parallel Grand Admiral Сabernet Sauvignon – Merlot – Saperavi 2018 (Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Merlot 40%, Saperavi 20%)
• GIGI winery Alibernet reserve 2022 (Odesa Black 100%)
• Villa Tinta Odesa Black Premium Collection 2020 (Odesa Black 100%)
• Kolonist Cabernet Merlot Haute Gamme 2018 (Cabernet-Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 50%)
• Bolgrad Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Bolgrad 2021 (Cabernet Sauvignon 100%)
• Beykush Beykush Red 2023 (Pinotage)
• Chateau Chizay Furmint Late Harvest 2022 (Furmint 100%)

Super TOP 12:

• Grande Vallée White Brut 2023 «Méthode Charmat» (Chardonnay 40%, Riesling 30%, Pinot Blanc 30%)
• Kolonist Bisser Brut, Traditional Method (Chardonnay 100%)
• SHABO Chardonnay Reserve 2022 (Chardonnay 100%)
• Beykush Winery Telti-Kuruk 2023 (Telti-Kuruk 100%)
• Frumushika-Nova Muscat Ottonel Not Filtered 2022 (Muscat Ottonel 100%)
• Villa Tinta Sukholymansky Premium Collection 2022 (Sukholymansky 100%)
• Beykush Winery Arbina 2021 (Rkatsiteli 100%)
• Grande Vallée Saperavi Reserve 2022 (Saperavi 100%)
• SHABO Cabernet Merlot Grande Reserve 2022 (Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%)
• Beykush Winery Loca Deserta 2020 (Merlot 29%, Saperavi 28%, Malbec 15%, Cabernet Sauvignon 14%, Tempranillo 14%)
• GIGI winery Alibernet reserve 2022 (Odesa Black 100%)
• Chateau Chizay Furmint Late Harvest 2022 (Furmint 100%)

Our sincere congratulations to the winners! We are proud of their achievements! 

We also thank all Ukrainian winemakers who took part in this important project. All participants will receive comments from Masters of Wine regarding the wines they have provided for the tasting. We hope they will help and inspire the winemakers to move forward!

Reference information: 

The international cooperation programme “EU4Business: SME Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalisation” is co-financed by the European Union and the German Government and is implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”. The programme aims to support Ukraine’s economic resilience, recovery and growth, create better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as support innovation and exports. Read more: www.eu4business.org.ua

The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Wines of Ukraine and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union, the German Government, or GIZ.

 #eu4business, #StandForUkraine, #gizSME

• 46 Parallel
• Beykush Winery
• Bolgrad
• Caro Maurer
• Cees van Casteren
• Chateau Chizay
• Frumushika Nova
• Grande Vallée
• Heidi Mäkinen
• Kolonist
• my Wine Eduard Gorodetsky
• Richard Bamfield
• Sarah Abbot
• SHABO
• Svitlana Tsybak
• TOP24 BEST WINES OF UKRAINE
• Ukrainian Association of Craft Winemakers
• Villa Tinta
• Wojciech Bonkowski