Volodymyr Kish.
Ukrainians, whether in the original homeland or in the diaspora, like to drink. They have been doing this for thousands of years. Wine making equipment as well as amphoras for storing wine have been found in Crimea dating back to 4 BC. As one of the leading honey producers in Europe since prehistoric times, honey wine or mead, has a long historical tradition in Ukraine. And of course, “horilka” or vodka, has been produced in Ukraine since the precursor of the modern still was first invented somewhere around the 8th or 9th century AD. Vodka has been a common trading commodity since the days of the Kyivan Rus state.
In terms of alcohol usage of all kinds, statistics put out by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010 show that Ukraine stands in sixth place in the world, with an annual consumption of the equivalent of 14 litres of alcohol per person. Of this, 48% is in the form of hard spirits, 41% is beer and 9% comes from wine. Belarus tops the world rankings with 17.6 litres per capita, followed by Moldova (16.8 litres), Lithuania (15.5 litres), Russia (15.1 litres) and Romania (15.4 litres). By comparison, Canada sits way back in 40th place (10.2 litres) and the U.S. is in 48th place (9.2 litres).
As mentioned earlier, horilka or vodka is still the drink of choice for most Ukrainians. It is simple and cheap to produce from the abundant supply of grains, mostly wheat, grown in Ukraine, and it does not require aging. Many of the more popular brands such as Khortytsia and Nemiroff are now available in Canada as well.
Cognacs and brandies are also fairly popular in Ukraine with the Zakarpattia oblast being a major producing area. The Zakarpatskyi cognac brand is considered one of the best, with the Tavria line of brandies and cognacs produced in Kherson being a close competitor.
There also continues to be a large volume of illegally produced “samohonka” or moonshine, made primarily from sugar beets. Ukrainian men drink it straight, while women use it as a base to make various liqueurs or “nalyvky”, such as “malynivka” (raspberry), “slyvyanka” (plums) or “vyshnivka” (cherries).
In recent decades, there has been a notable shift from the harder stuff towards wine and beer. Industry statistics from 2010 show an annual per capita beer consumption in Ukraine of around 63 litres. This may seem like a far cry from the world leading Czechs who consume a staggering 143 litres of beer per person per year, or the Poles at 101 litres, or the Irish at 98 litres. Nonetheless, it does put Ukrainians ahead of Canada (58 litres) and Russia (59 litres), but behind the U.S. (75 litres) and Australia (71 litres). This represents 30th place in the world rankings. The top beer brands in Ukraine are Obolon, Slavutich, Lvivske and Chernihivske.
When it comes to wine consumption, Ukraine lags far behind the rest of its European neighbours, with an annual average of 4 litres per capita. This pales in comparison to France (43 litres), Germany (25 litres), or even its closest neighbours – Romania (24 litres), Hungary (24 litres), or Croatia (44 litres). Even Russia bests Ukraine with an annual per capita consumption of 7 litres. Only the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) drink less wine than Ukrainians.
Despite this, Ukraine does have a long-established domestic wine industry primarily in Crimea, with other notable enclaves in the Zakarpatia, Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Dnipro regions. Ukrainians have a taste for sparkling, champagne style wines particularly of the sweet variety, of which the Krimsekt brand that we can buy in Canada is a good example. My own personal favourite when I lived in Ukraine was “Frantsuskiy Bulvar” (French Boulevard) made in Odessa. There is also a large production of port, muscat and “kahor” style wines, with the Massandra winery in Crimea being the largest manufacturer. In recent decades, more familiar western European varieties like cabernet, pinot noir and chardonnay have been planted and brought into production.
As a world leader in alcohol consumption, it should be no surprise that Ukraine has a serious problem with alcoholism. A recent study estimated that 38% of men and 8% of women in Ukraine are “heavy drinkers”, or in effect alcoholics. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of recognition of the problem by governmental and health authorities, and a dearth of resources to deal with the issue. Ukraine has still to begin to come to terms with the damage caused by alcohol abuse.
This is all fodder for thought the next time you pour yourself a glass of wine or a “charka” of your favourite tipple.
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