In previous years coming back from Vinexpo NYC, I’d be typically drafting articles highlighting the wine trends and great conversations we had while attending the event. But even heading into Vinexpo this year was different. It was the same week 2 years ago that the pandemic forced us to begin to shut down and isolate. It was surreal to be walking back to the Javitz Center, the same walk from the same hotel 2 years ago, with hope and feeling like we were emerging back into normalcy.

And while the pandemic may be waning, world events continue to test our will and endurance. The conversations we had were proof that while the events in Ukraine are thousands of miles away for Americans, they are top of mind and even feel somewhat personal. While we held great discussions on the brilliant wines we import from the Czech Republic, in almost each and every one people would ask how the Ukraine conflict impacted our winemakers.

A sincere thank you to everyone who, while trying to return to a normal routine for business purposes, continues to demonstrate compassion and caring for the broader world in which we work. In response, I share here a brief update on the impact of and support for Ukraine and its people from Czechia.

To put it in perspective, the Czech Republic is geographically quite close to Ukraine. Only Slovakia and Poland separate the two countries.

The yellow marker indicates the location of the are in Moravia where our winemakers are.

It is around 1400 km / 900 mi from Prague to Kyiv. And only roughly 400 km / 250 mi from the easternmost Czech border to the westernmost Ukraine border. Officially, the Czech Republic has accepted over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees according to the Organization for World Peace. As a nation, they have supplied military aid and diplomatic support, with their Prime Minister just recently returning from a meeting with Ukranian Prime Minister in Kyiv. Prague and Brno have opened gymnasiums and other buildings to refugees, and have requested additional facilities from the European Union with the expectation of their capacity being reached in just a couple of weeks.

In speaking with our winemakers, the difficult history with Russia comes through in their strong sentiment. Each of our winemakers has opened their wineries, homes, and villages to Ukrainian refugees, providing shelter and food, and hopefully long term work for those displaced. And remember, South Moravia is still recovering from the recent tornados causing distruction in many villages.

I feel it best to share the words of our winemakers:

“It is very complicated situation for refugees. Children need school, adults need to work. “
“We must pray that it will end soon and that our country will remain a safe place to live”
“Unfortunately after this Putin move, you don’t know what he can do in the future, what’s going on in his insane mind.”

We will continue to share any updates we learn to help keep this community informed. This touches every industry and the wine industry is not excluded. The long-term effects have yet to be revealed, but history will show the resilience and compassion of the people of Moravia will make a difference to so many from Ukraine.

Support of Ukraine from the Czech Wine Industry