Ukraine becomes the 49th OIV Member State

By James Bayley

Published: 28 October, 2022

The OIV, the intergovernmental viticulture organisation, has announced Ukraine as an active member state from 30 October 2022.

Ukraine’s inclusion will raise the total number of member states to 49, including Argentina, Italy, the UK and France, where the OIV is based.

With a vineyard surface area of 41.800 ha, Ukraine is the 31st biggest winemaking country in the world and, in 2021, produced 660,000 hls. Its consumption rates increased slightly until the burst of war in 2022.

READ MORE: Ukrainian wines seek independents

By becoming a member of the OIV, Ukraine will benefit from the information, cooperation and services of a network of around 1,000 experts. These links will enable the country to participate in decisions concerning the viticulture sector.

As a full member state, Ukraine will be present at the 43rd World Congress of Vine and Wine and will be represented at the general assembly on Friday 4 November, in Ensenada, Baja, California.

Ukrainian wine has been flying a little under the radar in the UK, but its inclusion as an OIV member state will surely raise its profile, especially as more shipments catch the eye of independent merchants.

In June, Harpers reported on the Propeller initiative, which saw 8,232 bottles of Ukrainian wine shipped to the UK.

The idea to bring Ukrainian wines to the UK sprang from a pre-war plan between Propeller’s Jamie Wynne-Griffiths and top Ukrainian sommelier Dmytro Gonchuruk, looking to create a generic Ukrainian campaign, which was shelved when conflict broke out.

The aim is to sell through as much as possible as fast as possible, with a suggested 35% retail margin, but with the option to donate some of that to key charities such as Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The four wineries represented are Beykush, Stakhovsky, Villa Tinta and Kolonist, with suggested RRPs starting at £17.95.

For more information, visit Propeller Wine.

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