Posted: 22.06.2020
Delicious and elegant movement to Europe. Chateau Chizay wines are preparing to receive protected geographical indication: the first presentation has taken place!
Ukraine will soon receive protected geographical indications (PGI). This is global practice, and giving products such status helps to maintain high quality and promote the state and the region. The EU project “Support to the Development of Geographical Indications in Ukraine” coordinates the creation of a network called the Wine and Taste Road of Ukraine. In Transcarpathia, where wine and gastronomic tourism is very promising, the Chateau Chizay winery takes an active part in this process.
About 3,400 GIs are registered in the European Union, more than half of which are wines and other alcoholic drinks. (Everyone knows the legendary Champagne from the French province of Champagne, right?) There are hundreds of varieties of cheese on the list, while other products are less common (and, for example, Ukrainian watermelon from Kherson will be the first in this status in Europe). And cheeses and, of course, wines are among the priorities for obtaining PGI for Transcarpathia and the whole of Ukraine. Protected geographical indications stimulate the quality of products and promote their export, as well as give impetus to agritourism and rural development, – experts say, because it is a kind of “feature” of the area and attraction for guests and buyers.
Ukraine is implementing the EU Project “Support to the Development of Geographical Indications System in Ukraine” and is working on a very promising business for tourism. We are talking about the creation of Wine and Taste Roads of Ukraine. Pilot regions are Danube Bessarabia (Odesa region) and Transcarpathia. In Odesa region, they are working on a map of tourist facilities and local producers that will be included in the route and international portal for tourists. Transcarpathia is the next region, both in introduction of PGI and creation of Wine and Taste Road. The presentation of “Wine and Taste Roads of Ukraine” with tasting of products of potential participants (Bessarabian and Carpathian “plates”) took place in the capital’s slowfood restaurant “Klukva&Brukva”. The event aimed to present products included in the list of priority geographical indications approved by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, as well as other traditional products of local producers for Transcarpathia and Danube Bessarabia: those that are important for regional development and tourism.
EU Project Manager “Support to the Development of Geographical Indications System in Ukraine” Saverio Savio provided information on the project’s mission in Ukraine. Experts Olena Motuzenko and Valeria Bondarenko presented the Wine and Taste Road of Danube Bessarabia, a map, its participants, as well as marketing opportunities for local producers. Expert Svitlana Zlobina presented the first Carpathian product with protected geographical indication – “Hutsul sheep bryndza” cheese. The Association of Producers of Traditional Carpathian Highland Cheeses also presented honey, tea and mushrooms as products with the potential to obtain PGI. Project expert Yevhenia Nikolaichuk presented wines: Bessarabia was represented by “Colonist” and “Shabo” wineries, and Transcarpathia was represented by Chateau Chizay. “The focus of the event was that the Wine and Taste Roads are being developed, the map for Bessarabia is almost ready, and it has been announced that such a project will be implemented in Transcarpathia as well. We hope that in the next few weeks we will work with Transcarpathian representatives on product specifications, which is required to obtain the status of a protected geographical indication. At the same time, work will continue on formation of the Wine and Taste Road, apparently already in site. As for Transcarpathian wines, they received excellent reviews. Two varieties were presented – Muskotály and Pinot Noir. The first is interesting as a special local wine from the same local variety, typical for the region, and rosé from Pinot Noir – this is a great example of successful winery product. The impression of Transcarpathian wine presentation is very positive!”, said Yevhenia Nikolaychuk. There is still a lot of technical work ahead to design products in accordance with EU requirements and develop a tourist offer of international level. It should be understood that granting the status of protected designations of origin and geographical indications and creation of Wine and Taste Roads are not formal measures. This is an important and very promising process for rural development and promotion of the region in the tourism market.
Anatoliy Poloskov, director of Chateau Chizay wine company, who attended working meetings on the formation of the Wine and Tastes Road of Danube Bessarabia, believes that the experience of Odesa region will be very useful for Transcarpathia: “Transcarpathia, we are the next. Our project will be unique, but we need to go through a difficult path. We are adopting the experience of Odesa residents, they have something to learn from. Some may think that there are inconveniences, because only legal manufacturers can be included in the official Roads, but in fact in Odesa it has become a powerful incentive to get out of the shadows for those who seek development. So, there is a project map of Danube Bessarabia. I’m a little jealous, but I believe that it will be better in Transcarpathia!” In the near future, Transcarpathia will host a working group of the EU Project.
On the eve of their visit, the founder of Chateau Chizay winery Gennadiy Gutman emphasizes the following: “All over the world, such Roads are a marketing platform for local producers of goods and services, they promote regional national and cultural identities and are magnet for domestic and foreign tourists. The existence of such Roads serves the development of local areas. The main thing is to ensure the high quality of local products and services, to make convenient and high-quality logistics for the guests of our region, and to use the international diversity of Transcarpathia, which does not exist in other regions of Ukraine“.
FOR REFERENCE. In April 2019, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food approved a list of eight priority products that could potentially be registered as geographical indications in Ukraine and the EU. The first Ukrainian products with GI will be (working names): wines with protected designations of origin (PDO) “Shabsky”, “Yalpug”, “Bilhorod-Dnistrovskiy”; cheese with PDO “Hutsul sheep bryndza”; watermelon with PDO “Kherson watermelon”; cherries with PDO “Melitopol cherries”; honey with PDO “Carpathian honey”; and wine with a protected geographical indication “Transcarpathia”.
