Why it matters
The producer
Ihor Petrenko spent 25 years moving wine across borders before he decided to grow it himself. He founded Craft Winery Biologist on two small parcels in the villages of Lisnyky and Bezradychy, both within reach of Kyiv, and planted Aligote, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Saperavi across fewer than three hectares combined. The winery produces between 2,000 and 3,000 bottles each year.
Petrenko farms biodynamically. Not gesturally: the preparations he applies to the soil include fermented herbs from over twenty species, among them St. John's wort, celandine, clover, and nettle, and his buried soil preparations go beyond the standard Biodynamic Preparation 500 horn. He released his first biodynamic vintage in 2022 under the name Pershotvir, a Ukrainian word meaning the first creation. Those bottles now reach buyers in Poland, the Baltic countries, Sweden, and Japan.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Lisnyky and Bezradychy are villages on the outskirts of Kyiv, not appellation names on a wine map. Ukraine does not have a framework of classified growing regions equivalent to those in France or Germany, and Petrenko's parcels carry no formal appellation designation. The two sites together cover less than three hectares of ground close to a major European capital.
This is suburban viticulture in an unconventional wine country. Kyiv sits at roughly 50 degrees north latitude, a latitude more commonly associated with Champagne or the Mosel than with Mediterranean or Black Sea wine regions. Ripening here is a season-by-season achievement rather than a given, and the choice to farm without herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic chemistry adds pressure that certified conventional growers in the same latitude would not take on.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Across both sites, Petrenko grows Aligote, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Saperavi without herbicides or pesticides. The biodynamic preparations applied to the soil include fermented herbs from more than twenty plant species. Standard Biodynamic Preparation 500 uses a cow horn; Petrenko buries whole cow skulls.
In the cellar, all wines undergo long maceration of six to ten days with dried grape crests added to the fermenting must. Fermentation is spontaneous, driven by indigenous yeast from the vineyard and cellar rather than inoculated commercial strains. New oak barrels provide a mild antiseptic environment that allows Petrenko to keep sulfur additions to a minimum. The combination of extended skin contact, spontaneous fermentation, and controlled sulfur use produces wines the winery describes as bright and aromatic, with strong character and a clean profile.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Pershotvir series is the only named range in the portfolio, introduced with the 2022 vintage as the winery's first formal biodynamic release. The series includes Aligote, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Saperavi, all produced under the same cellar protocol: six to ten days of skin contact with dried crests, spontaneous fermentation, new oak ageing, and minimal added sulfur.
Aligote is a white grape with naturally high acidity, grown historically across Burgundy and Eastern Europe and valued for its citrus-driven freshness. In the Pershotvir range it produces a wine with lemon zest and green pear on the nose, a thread of wild herbs, and a clean mineral finish pulled along by firm, mouth-watering acidity. The Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Saperavi are in production but do not yet have documented tasting profiles in available sources.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Pershotvir Aligote is where to start. It is the wine in the range with a fully documented sensory profile: lemon zest, green pear, wild herbs, bright acidity, and a clean mineral close. Aligote is a high-acid white grape, and this bottle plays directly to that character without softening it. New oak is present in the cellar method but does not dominate the glass; the wine stays fresh and taut. For a producer defined by biodynamic farming, spontaneous fermentation, and very low intervention, the Aligote shows exactly what those choices taste like: direct, aromatic, and precise without obvious winemaking weight on top.