How "rural champagne" from Husiatyn captivated Ukraine: The story of Father's Wine winery.
It was here, over 15 years ago, that local entrepreneur Vladimir Buyachok decided to try his hand at winemaking. Inspired by a childhood friend, he wanted to create a wine he loved that was nearly absent in the market of Ukraine at that time - a dry wine. He planted the first seedlings on the grounds of the furniture factory he had revived in Husyatyn.
The experiment was captivating; the vineyard expanded, and soon Buyachok had 38 grape varieties: well-known international types, atypical West European ones, and even local Ukrainian varieties, with hybrids holding a special place. It was important to ascertain whether the grapes would ripen in a region that was considered unsuitable for winemaking and if the local wine would match global standards.
The family was surprised by the father's passion but believed that if he was interested in something, success was guaranteed. The result was astonishing: the wine, initially viewed as a hobby, became famous both in Ukraine and far beyond its borders.
Unfortunately, Vladimir Buyachok was unable to experience this success fully. In 2018, his life was abruptly cut short, so the business was continued by his wife, Nadezhda, daughter Oksana, and son Taras. In honor of Vladimir, the winery was named Father's Wine and now produces over 50,000 bottles of wine annually.
Winemaking Returns to Historical Sites
"My father's life was never just about work. The furniture business was a family affair; we were together at home and at work, but he always found time for his personal interests. He played chess, backgammon, was deeply involved in numismatics, and was also very interested in wine," shares Oksana Buyachok, co-founder of Father's Wine.
Vladimir was inspired to try his hand at viticulture by his childhood friend Viktor Kondrat, who was growing grapes and making wine. Together, they experimented with seedlings and evaluated the harvests. Their efforts seemed almost utopian: Ternopil region had never been perceived as a winemaking area, although technical grape varieties grow in almost every yard here.
"Some of the vines are over a hundred years old, but they only serve as protection from the heat. They are likely indigenous vines. They don’t get sick, although no one tends to them like modern European technical varieties, which are very delicate," explains the daughter of the winemaking enthusiast.
In Husyatyn, they discovered cellars where wine was stored and unexplored underground passages.
"In our forest, there are remnants of a palace where my great-grandfather worked, and where the owner had a vineyard. The director of the Husyatyn local history museum told us that they found a document in the archives dated to the 17th century, indicating that there were seven wineries and twelve breweries in Husyatyn at that time. All of this was destroyed," the young woman recounts.
Now winemaking is returning to its historical places. This has been facilitated by legislative relaxations and climate changes affecting all of Ukraine. The warm weather and unique soils have created a distinctive terroir in the region, where Buyachok particularly excelled in producing white wines. For red wine, they sourced grapes from the Odessa region. "Our appellation is Husyatyn," the family jokes.
3Initially, there was no talk of a wine business: they made wine for themselves, gifted it to friends, partners, or guests of the factory, and participated in festivals and fairs.
Until 2018, entering the official market required building a winery that met certain criteria and a laboratory, which could cost millions. At that time, the Buyachoks produced only 3-4 thousand bottles a year, which they consumed themselves. They realized that the experiment was over and it was time to move on. This became possible when the licensing and taxation procedures for craft winemakers were simplified.
"We wanted to continue, but when it was time to go public, dad passed away. We recovered from the shock, consulted, and I said that I understood a bit about winemaking, but I was very interested. I just needed to immerse myself more," explains the young woman.
4She was assisted in understanding all the nuances by renowned winemaking experts, the "flying enologists," Maria Skorchenko and Alina Tenetko. They shared insights on modern trends, technologies, and ways to implement them in a small production setting. There were mistakes, but this led to new approaches being born.
Ternopil Wine Conquers the Capital
"What I love about this business is that you'll never learn about wine 100%. The climate changes - that's a challenge. There are many varieties and new trends in the world, and you can't possibly try them all. If you do try, some things work out, and some don't. Wine can only be made once a year; it's not like a sofa that you can reupholster," explains the younger Buyachok.
From the furniture business, she learned that having a large assortment but small batches for each position is a false path, so they decided to focus on the grape varieties that had shown the best results over the past ten years from their 38 types.
These included the hybrid white Helios, the German Johanniter from the Riesling family (which demonstrated remarkable acidity for Ternopil), and the American dark Jupiter seedless, planted by Vladimir Buyachok in a large vineyard (typically, it is used for raisins, not wine). They also cultivated Muscat Ottonel and the indigenous technical Dublyansky from Lviv region.
The family wanted to showcase not just craft wine from a new region but a product made from unusual grape varieties. This was also emphasized by Vladimir.
"We decided to continue making wine. We understood that we liked it and our friends did too, but we didn't have clear feedback from consumers. We needed to find out if our atypical varieties would appeal to people, as six years ago, the wine drinking culture in Ukraine was at a very low level. Ukrainian wine was perceived as cheap, sweet, and not worth attention," the young woman recalls.
5The entrepreneurs altered the style of the wine in favor of lower alcohol content. "Dad and Viktor Antonovich (Kondrat - EP) made wines with slightly higher alcohol content, which is typical for men. However, the global trend is toward 'lighter' wines. Viktor Antonovich took some time, but he agreed," says Oksana.
It turned out that Ukrainians were ready to try something new and unusual. To confirm this, they had to "pass an exam" - participate in the "All Our Own" festival in Kyiv.
"My friend worked there, and I often treated her to dad's wine from the trunk of my car, and she would bring it to the office to share with colleagues and festival curators. The curator of the 'Alkomarket,' Katya, called me and said they wanted to feature our wine at the festival and reserved the best spot for us," the young woman laughs.
At that time, Husyatyn wine had no labels or brand, but the family wanted its name to be associated with their father. "We didn't talk about a name or surname - dad was a modest man and wouldn't have allowed us to call it 'Wine by Vladimir Buyachok.' We recalled that people always asked us, 'Did you bring Dad's wine?' That's when I realized it should be in English," Oksana recounts. Thus, Father's Wine was born.
In one night, Oksana - a designer by trade - created the labels, which were printed on self-adhesive paper, and the carpenters from the factory made a stand. "My brother said, 'We need to be prepared for the possibility that people may not like our wine, and that's okay; this is Kyiv. If our wine isn't liked, we'll make it for ourselves, without ambitions.' We arrived, and there was a sensation," the younger Buyachok boasts.
The Experiments Continue
The winemakers obtained a license, engaged an agency, and began working together on new labels. They envisioned that the Father's Wine bottle would be unlike any other and leave an unforgettable first impression.