RUTHERFORD, California — As head of an association of winemakers in southern Ukraine, Georgiy Molchanov knows a lot about growing grapes; not so much how to grow them in the midst of unexploded mines.
But that was the situation he found himself in after a Russian missile dropped the explosives on his vineyard near the port city of Mykolaiv in August 2022, six months after Russia invaded. The damage – and danger – that the mines caused to his company was one of the countless catastrophic consequences that the more than two-year-old war has had for the Eastern European country.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the international nonprofit Roots of Peace, Rotary International and the Grgich Hills Estate winery in Napa Valley, Molchanov is now taking the steps he needs to reclaim and heal his wounded land.
First, Roots of Peace and Rotary International provided him with the expertise and supplies he needed to safely detonate the mines. The groups then worked together to bring him and five other Ukrainian winemakers to Grgich Hills in Rutherford. During a weeklong stay here, they learned about regenerative organic farming, an agricultural method that prioritizes soil health and ecosystem balance.
“We are discussing how to bring nature, how to bring wines, and not bring harm… into this country,” said Molchanov, head of the Association of Craft Winemakers in the Black Sea Region of Ukraine.
He and his fellow entrepreneurs have another goal: to spread the message that despite the ongoing war, the Ukrainian people remain resilient and look forward to a life in peace.
“People in Ukraine are still alive,” says Svitlana Tsybak, owner and CEO of Beykush Winery, also located in the Mykolaiv region. “Yes, war is in our souls, in our lives, but we have to… live our lives, so of course we have to work.”
Tsybak said Russian troops have been deployed about seven kilometers from her vineyard, but the war has not directly affected her operations. Her winery started exporting wine to the United States six months ago. She said she wants to learn how to increase the presence of Ukrainian wine in the U.S. market.
Heidi Kuhn, a peace activist from California who founded Roots of Peace, has worked for decades to remove landmines from war-ravaged land that they later help convert into vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens. Rotary International, which has worked with Roots of Peace for years, helped plan the program for the Ukrainian winemakers and funded their trips to California.
“There are an estimated 110 million landmines in 60 countries, and today in Ukraine, tragically, more than 30% of the country is littered with landmines,” said Kuhn, whose program is known as the “mines to vines” initiative.
In 2000, Kuhn teamed up with the founder of Grgich Hills Estate, the late Croatian immigrant Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, and other vintners to raise money for landmine clearance in Vukovar in eastern Croatia. Located in a wine region on the banks of the Danube, the city was reduced to rubble during the 1991-95 war in the former Yugoslavia.
Ivo Jeramaz, Grgich’s cousin, a native Croat and winemaker at Grgich Hills Estate, said he deeply sympathizes with Ukrainians because he understands how heartbreaking it is to experience war. He said the family winery has been helping Roots of Peace for decades.
“This is just the beginning of a hopeful relationship to literally restore the health of this country,” he said. “I hope they not only see how farming can be done without harmful chemicals, but also that they are inspired and have their hopes raised.”