Ukraine

Vitalii Larin

Vitalii Larin is a Ukrainian wine project manager and sommelier. Vitalii’s desire to enter the wine industry formed while he was at school, where he became aware of the sommelier profession. He went on to study winemaking, benefitting from working at some of Ukraine’s largest wineries simultaneously with his learning. Vitalii quickly came to realise that in order to make good wine, it is essential to understand exactly what constitutes a ‘good’ wine. Thus, Vitalii further diversified his experience in the industry, working as a sommelier, a wine director and a wine project manager, including roles in premium restaurants as well as at Ukraine’s largest wine distributor. Vitalii’s desire to learn more led him to pursue the WSET suite of qualifications, culminating in 2017 when he gained his Diploma, which he complimented with the Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier certificate. In his view, the next logical step on his path is the MW exam, and he is already registered on the course. Once the war in Ukraine reaches its conclusion, Vitalii believes there are several directions for the wine industry in Ukraine, which will only become more relevant, such as improving and then maintaining the quality of Ukrainian wine production, as well as raising their profile on the international market, alongside building the level of professional sommellerie and spreading a culture of wine drinking throughout the nation; all of which, he is sure, will allow Ukrainian wine “to take its well-deserved place in the best wine lists of the world”.