California winemakers teach Ukrainians about regenerative agriculture so they can grow grapes near landmines

But that's the situation he found himself in after a Russian rocket dropped explosives on his vineyard near the port city of Mykolaiv in August 2022, six months after the Russian invasion. The damage – and danger – that the mines caused to his business is one of countless catastrophic effects the more than two-year war has had on the Eastern European country.

Today, through the combined efforts of the international nonprofit Roots of Peace, Rotary International and the Grgich Hills Estate winery in Napa Valley, Molchanov is taking the steps he needs to reclaim and heal his land injured.

First, Roots of Peace and Rotary International provided him with the expertise and supplies he needed to detonate the mines safely. Then the groups teamed up to bring him and five other Ukrainian winemakers to Grgich Hills in Rutherford. During a week-long stay here, they learned about regenerative organic farming, a farming method that prioritizes soil health and balanced ecosystems.

“We are discussing how to bring nature, how to introduce wines, without harming … this land,” said Molchanov, who heads the Association of Artisan Winegrowers of Ukraine's Krakow region. black Sea.

He and his fellow entrepreneurs also have another goal: to spread the message that, despite the ongoing war, the Ukrainian people remain resilient and hope to live in peace.

“Ukrainians are still alive,” said Svitlana Tsybak, owner and CEO of Beykush Winery, also located in the Mykolaiv region. “Yes, the war is in our soul, in our life, but we have to… live our life so, of course, we have to work. »

Tsybak said Russian troops were stationed about 7 kilometers from his vineyard, but the war had not directly affected his operations. His winery began 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 American market.

Heidi Kuhn, a California peace activist who founded Roots of Peace, worked for decades to remove landmines from war-ravaged lands that she then helped transform into vineyards, orchards and vegetable fields. Rotary International, which has worked with Roots of Peace for years, helped plan the program for the Ukrainian winemakers and funded their trip to California.

“There are an estimated 110 million landmines in 60 countries, and today, tragically, more than 30 percent of Ukraine's territory is riddled with landmines,” said Kuhn, whose program is known under the name of the “mines to vines” initiative.

In 2000, Kuhn worked with Grgich Hills Estate founder, the late Croatian immigrant Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, and other winemakers to raise funds to clear landmines in Vukovar, eastern Croatia. The town, located in a wine region on the banks of the Danube, was reduced to ruins during the 1991-1995 war in the former Yugoslavia.

Ivo Jeramaz, Grgich's nephew, of Croatian descent and a winemaker at the Grgich Hills estate, said he felt deeply for the Ukrainians because he understood how heartbreaking it was to live through war. He said the family winery has been helping Roots of Peace for decades.

“This is just the beginning of a hopeful relationship aimed at literally restoring this country to health,” he said. “I hope that not only will they see how agriculture can be done without harmful chemicals, but also that they will be inspired and their hope will be raised.”

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