“After all, who wants to taste yet another Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon?” I’ve heard this rhetorical question more than once from industry professionals and influencers seeking new, unusual, and unique grape varieties that produce excellent wines with a clear expression of terroir.
Ukrainian winemakers, who, despite the ongoing full-scale war initiated by Russia in February 2022, continue not only to make wines but also to steadily improve their quality and expand their exports, have chosen not to overlook this trend. About a decade ago, Ukraine saw the revival of its signature local grape varieties - most notably the white Telti Kuruk and the red Odesa Black. Since then, Ukrainian winemakers have confidently brought these wines to the international stage, where they have achieved remarkable success.
For over three years, visitors to the Wines of Ukraine booths at ProWein, The London Wine Fair and other important international wine events have been discovering unknown gems from Ukrainian wine regions: the Danube Bessarabia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Zakarpattia.
Ukraine's flagship red grape variety - Odesa Black
Local whites, ranging from the rich, mineral-driven Telti Kuruk to the fresh, fruity, and floral Sukholymansky, and the crisp, citrusy Citron of Magarach, were getting a lot of positive feedback. However, it was the powerful, fruity, and tannic Odesa Black that captivated tasters the most.
Odesa Black originates from the crossing of Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon. This variety was created in 1948 by Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking in Odesa. Originally Ukrainian, it is also grown in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.
For quite a while, Ukrainian winemakers considered Odesa Black interesting, but difficult to handle with too much tannins, very high acidity and intense colour. It’s why the grape was unofficially called “a wild horse”, powerful and untamed.
However when tamed, it produces dark, rich and fruity red wines with distinct aromas of blackberry and mint, complimented by the velvety plum jam notes. Ageing in oak adds elegance and complexity to this wine, preserving its vibrant fruitiness, which makes this grape Ukraine’s flagship red variety.
Turning grapes into gold
Until very recently, most Ukrainian winemakers didn’t risk submitting wines made from local varieties to international tasting competitions. Not any more. The Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2025 was a real breakthrough and saw not only nine Ukrainian wineries take part in the competition, but they earned an impressive 11 medals between them. The majority of the awards included prestigious Grand Gold and Gold medals, with most accolades going to wines made from Odesa Black. They included:
Grand Gold and Best of Show Ukraine: Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition 2022
Gold: Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black 2023 (6 months in oak)
Gold: Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition 2021 (12 months in oak)
Gold: Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition 2023 (12 months in oak)
Gold: Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black 2023
Gold: Villa Tinta Premium Collection Odesa Black 2022.
These awards recognise and celebrate the big steps Ukraine is taking both in terms of winemaking and communication.
Kateryna Yushchenko, DipWSET, founder of Ukrainian Wine & Spirit School and international wine judge, says she had to explain the peculiarities of this variety to her Mundus Vini panel colleagues, which is a standard practice during the tasting.
She explains: “Odesa Black immediately captivated my fellow judges with its naturally intense colour, concentrated dark fruit profile, and balanced structure. It was really impressive to see how our winemakers took a refined approach to this 'wild horse', highlighting sophistication alongside its power and proving its potential to produce fine wines.”
She adds: “The wines now being produced from Odesa Black follow a better understanding of the variety’s background and how best to work with it in the cellar, such as temperature-controlled fermentation to preserve its varietal character and thoughtful oak ageing to enhance complexity while maintaining terroir expression.
“This collaborative approach across the industry shows what can be achieved by winemakers working together. I am confident it will lead to wider international recognition of Ukrainian wines.”
Olga Todoriuk of Drinks+ Media Group was able to collate some of the comments from the other judges. Michaela Gabriel, of Swiss producer Johanniterkeller, says she was previously not aware of the Odesa Black grape variety and was very excited and impressed by what she saw: “The wines we tasted received consistently high ratings from the entire jury, which clearly shows the potential of Ukrainian wine production, and this grape in particular.”
Eleni Blouchou, head of marketing and communications at Bonello Athens in Greece, adds: “Ukrainian wines made from the Odesa Black variety were particularly impressive, earning exceptionally high scores and highlighting the immense potential of the country's winemaking industry.”
Katerina Kostovska, co-founder of Wine Escape in Republic of North Macedonia, was fascinated by the diversity of varieties and styles of wines from around the world showcased in Mundus Vini, including the Odesa Black wines.
She says: “The wines made of this variety exhibit pronounced red fruits with subtle floral aromatics, full bodied wines with silky but high tannin texture, acidity to cut through and elevate the fruit on palette and long finish of lingering elegance.”
Uncorking Ukraine’s character
With more and more Ukrainian wineries looking to make wines with Odesa Black, there is now a focus on buying historical plots and planting new ones, with several producers a long way down the track of bringing new life to the variety to then promote Odesa Black wines locally and internationally.
Kolonist's Alla Ivan Plachkov
Kolonist, a family winery in the Danube Bessarabia, owned by the Plachkov family, can be called a true pioneer in reviving Odesa Black and Sukholymansky, the region’s two most important local varieties, and popularising them among the Ukrainian and international wine lovers.
Alla Plachkova, co-owner of the winery, shares the story of their journey with Odesa Black: “Long before this variety became the centre piece of Ukrainian winemaking, it was largely undervalued. In our region, it was the cheapest grape, used exclusively in bulk and added to blends of other varieties to enhance power, colour, and tannin structure.
“Kolonist was the first winery to produce mono-varietal wines from Odesa Black. My husband, Ivan Plachkov, a descendant of Bulgarian settlers in the Danube Bessarabia, has known this grape since childhood — it held both personal significance and symbolic value for him. He was the first among Ukrainian winemakers to consider which variety could become the country’s flagship.”
She adds: “Although Odesa Black is not an indigenous grape, Ivan believed it deserved recognition and possessed extraordinary potential. It is a demanding variety that requires care and attention, but the results speak for themselves. Today, Odesa Black is our winery’s best-seller, exported to Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany. This wine has gained considerable popularity abroad, where it is closely associated with Ukraine and remains truly unique. I even created a slogan for this remarkable grape: Uncork Ukrainian character.
“Odesa Black has transformed into an elite, sought-after wine, and I take pride in Kolonist Winery’s pivotal role in this journey. It is especially gratifying to see many Ukrainian winemakers now working with this variety, revealing its rich and diverse organoleptic profile.”
Kostyantyn Tintulov says Villa Tinta has worked hard to tame the strong characteristics of Odesa Black and is now having great success in the UK and other key European markets
Villa Tinta, another family winery from the Danube Bessarabia, boasts the most impressive plantation of Odesa Black in the region (120 hectares), producing award-winning wines.
Kostyantyn Tintulov, co-owner of Villa Tinta, represents the second generation of the winemaking family. He shared with me the fascinating story of a legendary wine, Odes’ky Step, created by his father, Valery Tintulov, back in 1999. This unique blend of Odesa Black, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot quickly became a bestseller across Ukraine.
In 2001, a small batch of Tintulov’s Odes’ky Step was exported to the UK. According to family lore, it was even served at Buckingham Palace.
“We never received word from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but we like to think she tasted our wine, and enjoyed it,” says Tintulov.
But he admits working with this powerful variety hasn’t always been easy. However, over time the oenologists of Villa Tinta found their way of handling it, striving for perfection: obligatory bottle ageing for entry level wines, delicate oak ageing for premium collections.
It has, though, become the winery’s main grape variety from around 2017 onwards with strong sales domestically and across Europe, including the UK.
He explains: “British consumers tend to buy mature, elegant oak-aged Odesa Black wines from our VIP collection, Villa Tinta VIP Wine Selection, while, say, in Sweden they prefer our premium collection wines, not aged in oak. Last year we successfully pitched our wines to be sold in Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol monopoly retailer, and we are overwhelmed by the progress.”
He adds: “Sweden, alongside Nordic markets in general, is very open to new wines, ready to experiment and to explore. The profile of our wines, in particular Odesa Black — full-bodied, rich, intense, with high tannins, is favoured by consumers in the north of Europe. Our wines are exported to Germany and Estonia, and we have just signed a new contract to sell in Norway.”
Big Wines' Natalia Burlachenko,
Big Wines, a very young but very prominent and award-winning winery with its own vineyards in Odesa region and production facilities located not far from Kyiv, made a debut with the release of Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition 2020, and since then the winery has won several prestigious international awards with this variety, including Decanter and at Mundus Vini.
Natalia Burlachenko, chief executive of Big Wines, part of Vinos de la Luz,says she and the winery’s oenologist, Artem Taran, fell in love with this complicated and bright variety, appreciating its huge potential.
The result exceeded their expectations: “Odesa Black was our first choice, and we have never regretted it. This grape variety is remarkably powerful, with tremendous potential, and in my opinion, it remains underestimated. Odesa Black is full of surprises, in the best way possible. Every vintage reveals something new. When we aged the 2023 harvest and tasted a sample after six months, it left us speechless.
"The wine had developed stunningly — maturation added finesse while preserving its bold aromatic profile. Ripe red cherries, juicy sour cherries with a hint of cherry pit, mulberries, and black forest berries dominated the nose. On the palate, it delivered lively acidity and velvety, well-integrated tannins, present but never aggressive. With a very short ageing of six months, the wine was perfectly ready-to-drink. Further ageing enriches Odesa Black with complex notes of black pepper, dark chocolate, and smoky cherry, alongside mature tannins and balanced acidity.”
She adds: “Our first vintage of Odesa Black, 2020, earned a Gold Medal at Mundus Vini shortly after release - a result that exceeded our expectations. This year, every Odesa Black wine we submitted received high honours, including Gold, Grand Gold, and the prestigious Best of Show. For us, these accolades are not just a recognition of our work - they also highlight the exciting potential of this unique Ukrainian grape. And while there is still much to explore, we believe this is only the beginning for Odesa Black.
The vineyards for Big Wines
“For us, supporting local and indigenous grape varieties while uplifting Ukrainian winemakers and viticulturists is a matter of principle. We’re excited to collaborate with some of the world’s top winemakers, using modern techniques to bring out the best in Ukraine’s local grape varieties. Even with the ongoing Russian aggression, we’ve not only kept our production going but have also grown. Recently, we set up an import company in Spain, and our wines have already been well received by distributors there. Spain is just the start. We’re very positive about growing into new markets. We truly believe that Odesa Black has a bright future.”
Paving the way to bigger success
The success of Odesa Black has not come as a big surprise to those in the Ukrainian wine industry that have been following its evolution for some time. It success also goes against the modern trend of wine drinkers wanting to have light, fresh, agreeable reds that are low in alcohol and soft on the palate.
The performance of the Ukrainian “wild horse” shows the opposite, and the fact there is still room for a diversity of tastes and preferences in the wine world. There is no reason why Odesa Black can’t secure a prominent place among the world-renowned wines, much like Vranac, the now-famous indigenous variety from the Balkans, originating in Montenegro.
Wish us good luck, support Ukraine, and enjoy our wines, made with love, inspiration and resilience.
* You can find out more at about Odesa Black at Wines of Ukraine website here.
