Work trip to Bessarabia with the European project Geographical Indications in Ukraine: wine cellar Vinaria

The Ukrainian “Wine and Taste Road” united the most interesting places for wine and gastronomic tourism in the Danube Bessarabia. Among them – wineries, cheesemakers, productions of meat delicacies, as well as natural and historical locations in the region. The route starts in Odessa and runs through the whole of Bessarabia. “Road” is a product of the project “Support for the Development of the Geographic Designation System in Ukraine”. The initiator of the project is the European Union, the goal is the development of gastronomic and agronomic tourism.

The Vinaria wine cellar was the reason why the city Izmail got on the wine road map. The owner of the cellar, Irina Polshakova comes from the Lipovan family. Knowledge about wine was passed on to her by ancestors. In the cellar, there are wines from Irina’s own vineyards, made in the traditions of her family. These wines are not sold in stores, they can only be tasted here. Also, in Vinaria you can try traditional dishes of Bessarabian and Lipovan cuisine, and bread, which is baked by the hostess using natural wine yeast. The cellar is located in the basement and, going down into it, you immerse yourself in the rich wine aromas. At tastings, it is customary here to pour unfinished wine directly onto the floor, next to the barrel. Irina calls this unusual ritual “honouring the memory of ancestors”. Guests of Vinaria will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the food prepared for them. Love for one’s homeland and one’s business is a distinctive feature of all locations on the Wine and Taste Road.