Ukraine Wine Producer Winning Top Wine Competitions Helps Those In Need
getty
Lake Como, Italy
getty
A breeze gently moved the light brown hair off the shoulder of an elegant woman, a Mediterranean beauty with big, almond-shaped eyes and a golden tan that seemed to be kissed by the sun as she radiated health and grace on the stone veranda that seemingly hovered over one of the most enchanting areas of the world, Lake Como in Northern Italy. The soft sunlight made the vibrant blue water glimmer as if the lake knew it was part of a rare pocket of the world that could bewitch anyone with its serene charm. This refined woman was staying at the Villa d'Este hotel, a classical Italian villa, and she envisioned all the tsars, marquises, sultans and princesses who stood where she was standing right at that moment. Even more importantly, she was one of the lucky few to attend one of the most prestigious European wine symposiums with some of the greatest wine producers attending the Villa d'Este Wine Symposium.
The week of the Villa d'Este Wine Symposium was filled with many tastings and seminars led by such fine wine leaders as Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of the iconic Burgundy estate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and Richard Geoffroy, the soon-to-be-retired legendary chef de cave of Dom Pérignon.
National flag of Ukraine
getty
One of the exciting parts of the agenda that week was the Cabernet Sauvignon wine competition results, where only ten Cabernet wines were invited to be judged by 120 wine journalists and wine trade, with a Ukrainian Cabernet Sauvignon coming in 5th place, ahead of First Growth Bordeaux such as Château Haut-Brion and Château Margaux. The judges were comprised of a surreal selection of people including the likes of Aubert de Villaine, Richard Geoffroy and Vega-Sicilia owner Pablo Álvarez. The Ukrainian wine producer was SHABO and in the past 20 years, they have received more than 600 awards, many from top international wine competitions such as IWC (International Wine Challenge), and became the first Ukrainian producer to receive two gold medals from the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards in 2021 and they have gone on to win more.
SHABO is not only worth the wine enthusiasts' interest because they are wines from Ukraine, that make wonderful international variety wines like their Cabernet Sauvignon as well as thrilling native varieties such as their mineral-driven Telti-Kuruk white wine, but they are a must-try wine producer because of the great quality of their wines.
Landscape in Ukraine during the sunrise
getty
SHABO Winery is the oldest Ukrainian winery in the village of Shabo, and it is just under a two-hour car ride from the port city of Odesa, located on the western part of the Black Sea (with an estuary on the other side) in the south of Ukraine. CEO and co-founder of the modern age of SHABO, Giorgi Iukuridze, said that the area first had vineyards planted by ancient Greeks more than 2,500 years ago on the coast of the Black Sea. Then, Swiss colonists settled in the village of Shabo and started a movement toward quality vineyard plantings and management and higher-quality winemaking, and that was the very beginning of the SHABO legacy. However, during Soviet times, the wines were restricted to the Iron Curtain. Still, on a positive note, it was mainly used as research vineyards, helping to discern the best grape varieties to grow on the estate.
Giorgi Iukuridze
courtesy of SHABO Winery
Yet there was a big turning point for this winery in 2003 when the Iukuridze family, a Georgian family, from the country of Georgia, who immigrated to Ukraine, bought the estate and proceeded to invest over 110 million euros from 2003 until 2019, significantly improving the vineyards, updating the winery as well as building two more wineries that are specific for their sparkling and brandy production as well as building a hospitality center that is on the same impressive level as top producers in Napa Valley. But what is remarkable is the idea of the humble beings of the Iukuridze family as Giorgi's father, Vaja, was a Georgian winemaker before he decided to buy SHABO, and all the money they have invested as a family comes from loans and their only business is SHABO, hence all of their focus is devoted to their wines.
Giorgi spoke about the great lengths they go to to ensure that all bottles are consumed by their customers who want to age the bottles. They offer cellaring within their facilities, and they taste all the wines and vintages meant for aging every year so they can report to their customers whether they should hold or drink particular bottles.
The wonderful quality of their wines, made from various international and local grape varieties, has already started to greatly impress a few U.S. markets, such as Washington D.C. Recently, SHABO has become listed on a wine list at Imperfecto, a Michelin restaurant in Washington, D.C..
Giorgi lukuridze in the vineyards
courtesy of SHABO Winery
SHABO's white Telti-Kuruk, with its mineral edge and ability to age, is a stunning example. The red Saperavi grape native to Georgia, sharing roots with the Iukuridze family, is blended with Merlot and spends time in qvevri (a traditional Georgian clay vessel used for fermenting and aging wine) and is a wine with the ideal balance of multidimensional aromas and texture yet still being delectably delicious; its biggest issue has been keeping it in stock. They have brought 21 qvevri from Georgia to use in some of their winemaking.
Giorgi Iukuridze's father already has extensive Georgian winemaking experience, so he knows how to find the balance when making Qvevri wines. Yet they took a further step by bringing in the legendary French consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt to oversee their teams and guide them towards excellence.
Despite SHABO doing very well in Europe over many years, even garnering key placements at Michelin restaurants in London and Paris, as well as having their Cabernet Sauvignon featured at the famous wine museum, La Cité du Vin, in Bordeaux, France - the esteemed home of Cabernet Sauvignon, it took longer to get these wines into the U.S.. But that isn't that surprising considering the over-saturation of the wine market in this country and the logistical nightmare of importing alcoholic products as each state functions like its own country.
SHABO estate
courtesy of SHABO Winery
But that all changed when Sam Lerman, an American military veteran, decided to volunteer as a wartime advisor by going to Ukraine in April 2022 on his own dime. Serendipitously, he wound up meeting a Ukrainian entrepreneur and eventually brought on a retired U.S. Marine who was also a career entrepreneur to import Ukrainian vodka and, to his initial shock, great Ukrainian wines, as Sam had no idea that they made wine, let alone ultra-premium level fine wine. That is how he connected with the Iukuridze family and established their U.S. import company, which focuses on Ukrainian products called Spyrt Worldwide.
Spyrt Worldwide and SHABO are tied together by not only wanting to show the U.S. the amazing quality of wines made in Ukraine but also making real changes under desperate circumstances. Since a large part of Spyrt Worldwide's mission is to help the Ukrainian people, they partnered with Invictus Global Response, which is made up of American veterans specializing in bomb removal. They go to liberated Ukrainian towns and mine everything, and Sam notes that a significant amount of their profits go to this project.
SHABO's main mission was to show Ukrainian excellence, but that mission has evolved to include saving lives as well, and they have been supplying bottled, clean water to towns that have been cut off from their water sources in Ukraine.
Not every day does one get to witness a true synergetic pair bring thrilling wines from a place that is on many minds yet is still unknowingly making great wines and, simultaneously, genuinely saving lives. Hopefully, one day, way in the future, the head of a Ukrainian family will open a special bottle of cellared SHABO wine with his grandchildren, who have just become young adults, to toast to their glorious country, Ukraine, toast to never taking freedom for granted and to toast to being one of the lucky ones who was able to survive so he could live to have children and grandchildren… and a big part of that luck was the lifesaving projects sponsored by those behind that SHABO wine.
2016 SHABO, Grand Reserve, Blanc de Blancs Brut
Cathrine Todd
2016 SHABO, Grand Reserve, Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling Wine: 100% Chardonnay using the Champagne Method and aged eight years on the lees. Intense minerality with tantalizing notes of brioche and rich peach pie flavors on the palate with fresh acidity and a creamy texture formed by tiny, fine bubbles.
2023 SHABO, Telti-Kuruk Reserve
Cathrine Todd
2023 SHABO, Telti-Kuruk Reserve White Wine: 100% Telti-Kuruk – a white native grape variety. A terroir-driven nose with wet river rocks, crushed limestone and wildflowers with lemon curd flavors and marked acidity that has a broad body balanced by lots of vitality.
2022 SHABO, Telti Kuruk Grande Reserve White Wine: 100% Telti-Kuruk that has been barrel fermented in French oak. Sea spray, lemon confit and a hint of spice with quince paste and mandarin oil on the palate with more texture to the wine than the Reserve, giving it a beautiful shape across the long finish.
2019 SHABO 'Iukuridze Family Wine Heritage' Telti –Kuruk
Cathrine Todd
2019 SHABO 'Iukuridze Family Wine Heritage' Telti –Kuruk, Exclusive Release White Wine: 100% Telti-Kuruk. Giorgi Iukuridze noted that their top Telti-Kuruk will reach their peak of complexity in five to seven years and stay there for eight to ten years, yet in some cases, it can age a lot longer. And so, they have wines that they hold back for small batch releases once they have more age, such as this Telti-Kuruk "Iukuridze Family Wine Heritage" exclusive release. Multilayered aromas of honeycomb, seashell and hazelnuts with pear tart flavors and bright acidity with a very long finish of saline minerality.
2023 SHABO, Rosé Wine: 100% Pinot Noir. Freshly picked raspberries and strawberries with an uplifting aroma of lavender with a nice amount of weight yet still very minerally with mouthwatering acidity.
2022 SHABO, Qvevri Wine, Saperavi-Merlot
Cathrine Todd
2022 SHABO, Qvevri Wine, Saperavi-Merlot, Limited Edition Red Blend: 40% Saperavi and 60% Merlot and spends six months in qvevri buried in the ground. Saperavi is a teinturier red wine grape, meaning it has red flesh as well as a red skin. Deep, brooding flavors are the first to reveal themselves with blackberry compote and black raspberry liqueur, which finds harmony with added layers of zingy tart cherry and orange peel that is grounded by smoldering cigar and graphite that is irresistibly juicy and flavorful while delivering so much complexity.
2023 SHABO, Cabernet-Merlot Grande Reserve
Cathrine Todd
2023 SHABO, Cabernet-Merlot Grande Reserve Red Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot. This wine is aged in 70% new French oak and 30% 2nd use barrel. Many times, when there is a new, exciting wine country in the U.S. marketplace, there is the feeling that they should only show their native grape varieties and stay away from the most popular international grape varieties as the market is saturated with them. However, once this wine is tasted, it becomes obvious why their Cabernet wines have won competitions and awards, as well as a place at the famous Bordeaux wine museum, La Cité du Vin. Enchanting black and red fruit starts to waft from the glass with notes of cassis and blackcurrants with tobacco leaf and licorice that has lively acids with an impressive density that has precision created by finely sculpted tannins with a long, expressive finish that is reminiscent of blooming jasmine during an evening stroll.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
34 minutes ago
- Black America Web
Back Like She Never Left: Meagan Good Returns To Lifetime To Star In & Executive Produce Wild New Thriller ‘I'll Never Let You Go'
Source: Courtesy / lifetime Meagan Good is forever working! It was announced earlier this week that the 43 year-old is returning to LIfetime to to executive produce and star in a wild new thriller. Continue reading to learn more. Inspired by real life stories, the summer heat intensifies with the debut of the Lifetime Original Movie I'll Never Let You Go , premiering Saturday, August 16th at 8/7c. In the film, Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director. When Emily's only child Sophia leaves for college, she struggles with empty nest syndrome and searches for ways to reconnect with her husband, Tom. Craving intimacy, she enters a passionate affair with a magnetic Italian artist named Carlo, whose captivating presence hides something far more unhinged. When Emily realizes her mistake and tries to sever ties, Carlo refuses to let go—exposing their secret, sabotaging her personal and professional life, and threatening everything she's built. As she struggles to reclaim her marriage and sense of self, Emily is forced into a chilling confrontation that will test the limits of her strength—and how far she'll go to protect her family. In addition to Meagan Good ( Think Like A Man, Divorce In The Black ), the movie also stars Antonio Cupo ( Blood and Treasure ), Thomas Cadrot ( Merry Liddle Christmas ), and Hana Destiny Huggins ( The Flash ). I'll Never Let You Go is produced by Bruce Harvey for CMW Autumn Productions Inc, in association with Studio TF1 America. Joey Plager and Meagan Good serve as executive producers, while Troy Scott directs a script written by Alex Wright. Stay tuned for the official trailer! SEE ALSO Back Like She Never Left: Meagan Good Returns To Lifetime To Star In & Executive Produce Wild New Thriller 'I'll Never Let You Go' was originally published on
Android Authority
3 hours ago
- Android Authority
Forget copyright strikes, a retro gaming YouTuber faces jail time for reviewing gaming handhelds
TL;DR Retro gaming YouTuber Once Were Nerd has been sued and raided by the Italian government. Consoles were seized and channels may be closed for promoting piracy of copyrighted material. Some of these devices ship with pre-loaded ROMs, which appears to be the source of the complaint. While gaming content continues to grow and thrive on video platforms like Twitch and YouTube, copyright remains a sticky issue. Most companies look the other way when it comes to game streaming, but emulation is another matter. Nintendo and others have used copyright strikes to discourage creators from emulating their games, but now a new legal threat has taken things to a whole new level. Italian YouTuber Once Were Nerd covers a variety of retro gaming topics, but his reviews of ANBERNIC devices appear to be the straw that broke the camel's back. According to the video above, customs enforcement officers from the Guardia di Finanza showed up at his home and office on April 15 with a search warrant to investigate promotion of pirated copyrighted materials. They seized a variety of ANBERNIC, Powkiddy, and TrimUI gaming handhelds from his collection. In total, more than 30 consoles were taken. The creator, assuming he didn't do anything wrong, complied with demands, providing full transcripts of his conversations and chats with gaming handheld manufacturers. The officers also took his phone, promising to return it in a few days. It was returned two months later, on June 15. Officials seized more than 30 consoles, and may shut down the channel before it goes to trial. According to the video, officials are not required to disclose what exactly the charges are or who has brought them until the initial investigation is complete under Italian law. At that point, the case is either dismissed or goes to trial. The complaint specifically mentions reproduction of copyrighted material from Nintendo and Sony, but the case may originate from the agency itself. However, in the meantime officials have the option to shut down his channel, even before proving any wrongdoing. This is a scary prospect for any creator who has spent years building a channel, and unlike YouTube copyright strikes, there's likely no remedy. Currently, officials contest that his reviews of ANBERNIC devices like the RG Slide, which often, but not always, ship with microSD cards filled with copyrighted ROMs, are punishable under Article 171 ter of the Italian Copyright Law. This law, which was originally written in 1941, allows for a maximum punishment of €15,000 (or 30 million Italian Lira, since the law pre-dates the Euro) and three years of jail time. For his part, the creator of Once Were Nerd never published sponsored reviews of ANBERNIC products. This is how most reviewers remain impartial, although he claims to have taken things one step further by not including any affiliate links in his content. Time will tell how this case plays out, but it sets a dangerous precedent for other gaming-focused creators, especially in countries with draconian copyright laws that are decades out of date. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
I thought this waterfront restaurant was for tourists. Then I tasted some of S.F.'s best seafood
La Mar convinced me that restaurants on San Francisco's Embarcadero should never be counted out as merely for tourists. For nearly 17 years, the Peru-born restaurant has been a beacon for masterfully prepared seafood and knockout views. It's the Bay Area's preeminent exhibition of Peruvian cooking, akin to a Spielberg blockbuster: grandiose, beautiful and deliciously entertaining. Founder and celebrity chef Gastón Acurio has 10 La Mar locations, a fraction of his global empire of over 40 restaurants. But the story of La Mar in San Francisco has much to do with Victoriano Lopez, the executive chef for the last decade who has worked with Aucrio for 30 years. La Mar was ahead of the curve, raising the bar for Peruvian food in the Bay Area. And I'd argue its cebiches paved the way for the rise of raw seafood dishes like crudos, which are all but mandatory on menus today. Lopez says the restaurant struggled for years to sweet-talk diners into consuming uncooked fish, marinated moments before hitting the table. But La Mar succeeded, as now it's the restaurant's biggest seller. The menu can feel long-winded, but the general wisdom is that sea triumphs over land and the best cocktails are made with pisco. Start with a cebiche like the classic ($31), halibut (or the catch of the day) that gracefully balances acidity, savoriness and mild heat with crunch. Leche de tigre — a blend of celery, lime juice and habanero — serves as the base for all other cebiches. Add a bit of aji amarillo to the mix and it becomes the spicier, tangier Criollazo ($36). The sleeper hit is a Lopez original: the Victoriano ($31), his take on an Italian crudo, which adds sunchokes and olive oil to the marinade, making it a creamy emulsion. Another worthy Italian-inflected dish is the velvety seafood bucatini ($49), an aquatic symposium of scallops, octopus and crab in a creamy sauce that riffs on a Peruvian soup called chupe. The dishes that blend two cultures can otherwise be hit-or-miss, as with the lackluster Chaufa Aeropuerto ($50). The overpriced Wagyu beef fried rice arrives in a stone pot, whose purpose is mostly decorative. You're better off ordering the lomo saltado ($46): melty, smoky tenderloin steak tumbled into a blazing wok with tomatoes, oyster sauce, vinegar and craggy home fries. The latter component makes all the difference, as most local preparations of the dish opt for frozen potatoes. You can save some money if you choose it as your entree in the daytime executive lunch deal ($49), which includes a dessert and an appetizer, such as the classic cebiche or the savory, cold potato casserole known as causa. The restaurant never uses frozen seafood, so some dishes are only available for a limited time, like the recent flavor-packed baby squid dish ($34), flame-grilled mollusks varnished with an aji panca chile paste that tastes similar to birria adobo. Before leading the Embarcadero restaurant, Lopez described himself as Acurio's right-hand man. Like the Wolf from 'Pulp Fiction,' he was a fixer of sorts for the celebrity chef, joining Acurio's fold in 1995 as a line cook at Astrid & Gaston — ranked No. 1 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013. Lopez worked at Acurio's restaurants across the globe before coming on as executive chef at the San Francisco La Mar in 2015. This was a period of financial struggle; he audited the restaurant and found that cost-cutting measures made food quality suffer. He brought the restaurant back to its high caliber, sparing no expense for sourcing ingredients. 'We're not in the business of deceiving people,' said Lopez. 'If we say it's live scallops, then it's live scallops.' After the detrimental effects of the pandemic, La Mar attempted something new: In 2023, it remodeled the bar area, unrolled new bites and gave it a separate identity. But La Mar Bar was short-lived. 'It didn't work,' said Lopez. 'Patrons preferred the regular menu.' The people want the whole La Mar experience. Last year, La Mar scrapped those menu items and underwent a light renovation, bringing the refreshed lounge into the rest of the 11,000-square-foot restaurant. It's a stunner. Under the zinc-plated bar are cool-toned fish scale tiles, and at the far end is a giant, light-up squid installation against a backdrop of billowing wallpaper. The facelift makes the area the sleekest seat in the house, unless the sun is out illuminating the gorgeous back patio. Sitting outdoors, taking stock of the rippling bay, nursing a pisco sour, I can't help but feel romantic about the city's historic piers. Despite the Embarcadero's recent influx of worthy new dining options, La Mar has proven its staying power. It's not a restaurant that most can visit casually, but when the occasion arises, it delivers. La Mar Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Meal for two, without drinks: $90-$180 What to order: Cebiches: classic ($31), Victoriano ($31), Criollazo ($36); causa California ($34), lomo saltado ($46), seafood bucatini ($49), lucuma cacao dessert ($16). Drinks: Full bar. Drink a pisco sour. Best practices: Slide into the bar area for a drink and a cebiche. On a sunny day, try to sit on the patio — reservations recommended. The executive lunch ($49) is the restaurant's most cost-effective option.
