Wines of Ukraine has been invited to exhibit at the London Wine Fair (LWF) in June, marking the first time the country will be at the show. In light of the conflict in Ukraine, organisers are currently liaising with the generic body to create a special destination stand for the winery on the trade floor, free of charge. 

As the producers are likely unable to attend, a handful of industry members have volunteered to man the stand. Volunteers include Sarah Abbot MW, founder of Swirl Wine Group, Brad Horne, founder of WineTime London, and wine importer Irina Gridina from Ukraine, who co-founded the BeWine Forum which was held in Kyiv last year. 

LWF organisers said the event is on track to represent a “record number” of countries this year, following a two year hiatus during the pandemic. It is expected that around 30 wine producing regions will attend for the 40th annual show, including long-time producers and emerging countries. Alongside Ukraine, other regions coming to LWF for the first time include Wines of Armenia, Wines of Romania and the Portuguese region of Setubal. 

Hannah Tovey, event director, said: “The show is filling up beautifully, and the offering has never been so broad, with huge scope for visitors to discover new territories, producers and wines, alongside a raft of spirits, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks.”