We were able to taste four delicious Ukrainian méthode tradionnelle bubbles yesterday, outdoors on a warm spring day, by the train tracks, no less. It seemed like such a symbolic setting with the news reports of so many Ukrainians fleeing their country by train, and train stations being bombed for maximum impact of civilian fatalities. It’s difficult not to get teary-eyed and think of their situation every time I look at this photo.

Of course, we bought the Ukrainian wines. And here is what we have planned for them.

Portland Wine Week, Opening Day (6/13) at Falmouth Country Club

Panel Discussion: Women in Wine, Pushing the Boundaries Sponsored by Coffee by Design

Each year at this event we pour a sparkling wine from the portfolio of one of the panelists to have a toast to kick off Portland Wine Week. Knowing that we were going to have access to these wines, we invited the importer, Gayle Corrigan, to be one of the panelists, and she said YES! We are so pleased to announce that we will be pouring one of her delicious Ukrainian bubbles from the producer Artwine.

This has put a whole new excitement and greater purpose into this event. It is now a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen to aid their efforts of feeding the fleeing people of Ukraine. If you go to the event page, you'll notice that there are two “ticket” prices:

$15 ticket price to attend
A donation in $25 increments to World Central Kitchen

These are two mutually exclusive "tickets". You do not need to donate to purchase a ticket to attend, and you do not need to attend to donate. But there are benefits to doing both because Gayle is donating a Magnum (1.5 Liter) of Artwinery's Soloking sparkling wine to present to the person donating the most and in attendance.

More on the Soloking … Gayle explains that it “is the most special Ukrainian wine available in America. It contains wine from Crimean grapes before the vineyards became a battlefield in the 2014 Russian invasion. There are less than 250 bottles in the USA and only 20 left in Ukraine. It is made 236 feet underground in the world’s deepest sparkling winery. This méthode tradionnelle brut is fermented and aged in the bottle for 6 years. For more than 2,500 years Crimea has produced wines so distinctive they’ve met the lofty standards of Russian Tsars and fetched some of the highest bids ever paid by wine enthusiasts at Sotheby’s. Light straw in color with a thin and steady perlage, Soloking has an exquisitely long finish.”

***We will also be pouring the Soloking at our Wine Club Member Soirée on 6/14. More on that below.***

Portland Wine Week, Opening Day (6/13) Women Winemaker Luncheon

Gayle will be joining us as one of the four incredible women wine professionals representing, pouring, and discussing their favorite women winemakers' wines from their portfolios. Each of the four wines will be paired with a delicious course from Falmouth Country Club Executive Chef and his culinary team. For the luncheon, Gayle will be pouring another of Artwine’s sparkling wines. We are deciding between the rosé and the ruby. They are both so exciting. It is so hard to choose. We’re leaning toward the ruby!

***We need a sponsor for the Women Winemaker Luncheon! Who do we know for awesome community-minded local businesses that would love to be part of supporting Portland Wine Week?***

Wine Club Member Semi-Annual Soirée (6/14) sponsored by Bangor Savings

Ok, Wine Club Members, we promised you a soirée and we’re giving you a soirée! This event takes place during day two of Portland Wine Week (6/14). The exact Portland location will be announced soon, but please save the date.

We’re inviting all Founding Wine Club Members to this one, which we are able to do, due to the generosity of our sponsor Bangor Savings. A founding member is a member that joined in January 2022 and has been a member since … if you missed the chance to join in January and want to catch up, please let us know.

All of the women wine professionals from the previous day’s luncheon will also be joining us and pouring their wines from their portfolio, for you to enjoy at your leisure. They’ll be passed apps and stationed food and a chance for us to all meet and connect with each other in person!

Wine Sail in Portland, Maine: Celebrating Women Winemakers (6/15)

Ukraine has many women winemakers and that includes those of Artwine sparkling that we will be pouring to kick off our first Wine Sail of Portland Wine Week on Tuesday, June 15 from 3:15 - 5:15 PM (3:00 Boarding). Get tickets while they last.

Wine Sail in Portland, Maine: Celebrating Women Winemakers (6/15)

Ukraine has many women winemakers and that includes those of Artwine sparkling that we will be poring to kick off our first Wine Sail of Portland Wine Week on Tuesday, June 15 from 3:15 - 5:15 PM (3:00 Boarding). Get tickets while they last.

Here’s a link to all Portland Wine Week events where Ukrainian wines are being poured. We’ll keep it updated as new events are added.

Ukrainian Artwine at Portland Wine Week