Napa Valley Winery Hosts Ukrainian Winemakers Seeking To Rebuild

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Vintners from Ukraine were at Grgich Hills Estate Winery in Rutherford this week, learning how to revitalize their wartorn vineyards amid the ongoing conflict in their home country.

Grgich Hills Estate and San Rafael-based nonprofit Roots of Peace partnered to bring six Ukrainian winemakers to the United States with support from a Rotary International Global Grant. June 3-9, Grgich Hills Estate hosted their fellow winemakers from across the globe for an immersive regenerative viticulture training program.

The distinguished Ukrainian vintners engaged in a comprehensive "hands-on" training focused on regenerative viticulture and natural winemaking. The initiative aimed to elevate the quality and sustainability of Ukrainian wines and demonstrate agriculture as a powerful avenue for peacebuilding.

The training leveraged techniques that have revitalized North Bay wine country vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma County — drawing parallels with the current needs of Ukrainian vineyards. Participants learned from leading experts including Ivo Jeramaz, vice president and winemaker at Grgich Hills Estate; Bernat Sort Costa, regenerative organic research manager; and Sebastian Erggelet, winemaker, whose innovations in organic farming and winemaking have been widely recognized.

"We are deeply honored to share our expertise in regenerative practices with our Ukrainian colleagues," said Violet Grgich, president and CEO of Grgich Hills Estate. "This program is a testament to our belief that agriculture bridges cultures and supports communities through the most challenging times."

Georgiy Molchanov, head of the Association of Craft Winemakers in the Black Sea Region, expressed his gratitude and optimism.

"I think that this is a unique program of cooperation with the New Wine World of America, and it can be argued that Ukraine is a new star on the world wine map," said Molchanov, who combines community service with his winemaking passion. "We are grateful that in wartime, we have the opportunity to collaborate with Roots of Peace, Grgich Hills Estate, and the support of Rotary International on this special project that supports the peaceful profession of winemaking and gives us a chance for the future."

Additional participants from Ukraine included:

Pavlo Magalias, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war and winemaker at Olbio Nuvo Winery who is known for his commitment to revitalizing the ancient winemaking traditions of the Mykolaiv region.

Svitlana Tsybak, CEO of Beykush Winery, a boutique winery in the Mykolaiv region, and president of the Ukrainian Association of Winemakers, who is championing innovative and sustainable winemaking practices.

Vladimir Palariev, CEO of Frumushika Nova Winery, who focuses on combining traditional and innovative winemaking methods to enhance the sustainability and traceability of his products. (Not pictured.)

Olha Molchanova, sommelier at Slivino Village Winery in the Mykolaiv region, who integrates local traditions with modern biodynamic and organic winemaking approaches.

The training program at Grgich Hills Estate was designed to cover a comprehensive range of topics critical to the advancement of regenerative viticulture. In-depth workshops served as training sessions on climate impact and vineyard resilience in the face of extreme weather events; and the principles of regenerative viticulture which include soil health and methods for increasing biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem interactions.

Trainees visited some of the Regenerative Organic Certified vineyards in Napa Valley, where they learned about specific practices such as pruning techniques and their impacts on vine health and yield. They also learned natural winemaking techniques, with a key component being to focus on minimal intervention techniques which aligned the trainees with regenerative agricultural practices to produce wines that reflect the terroir.

The visiting vintners also learned to address challenges in pest management and plant health. The program covered sustainable strategies for managing pests and diseases while also maintaining the ecological integrity of their vineyard.

There was plenty of cultural exchange, including a discussion on the integration of traditional and modern winemaking techniques.

"This collaboration is a powerful stride towards healing and growth for Ukrainian vintners," said Heidi Kuhn, founder and CEO of Roots of Peace. "By imparting sustainable and peace-centric agricultural practices, we are planting seeds of hope and economic stability for war-torn communities."

About one year ago, Kuhn set her sights on Ukraine as the next mission for Roots of Peace, which she founded in 1997 and set forth on a quest to eradicate an estimated 60 million landmines in 60 countries. Vintners from the Napa Valley, including native Croatian, the late Miljenko "Mike" Grgich of Ggirch Hills Estate, were her first supporters and raised funds to help farmers in war-torn lands harvest their crops in minefields.

Since then, Roots of Peace has partnered with the Croatian Mine Action Centre, HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group and others to remove over 100,000 landmines and pieces of unexploded ordnance from agricultural lands throughout the world.

Roots of Peace then goes in with shovels and trains rural farmers to grow and sell high-value crops. More than six million fruit trees have been planted benefiting millions of farmers and families in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Guatemala, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Vietnam — providing food security and jobs in war-torn lands through export and trade.