To make wine is to believe in the future: the Ukrainians growing grapes on the frontline

In the midst of unexploded Russian rockets and buzzing drones, Ukrainian winemakers are keeping vines and hope alive

As winemaker Mykhailo Molchanov pottered about trimming foliage from his vines on a warm early-summer day, his dog Direktor at his heels, it was hard to imagine a more idyllic scene.

The Molchanovs’ organic vines are planted directly into the richly biodiverse grassland for which southern Ukraine is renowned – hence their label’s name, Steppe Wines – amid the silvery feathergrass and wild salvia.