Lviv is the biggest city and the most popular tourist destination in Western Ukraine, a region known for its winemaking and cheesemaking traditions. The Lviv Cheese & Wine Festival was created to celebrate the end of the wine harvest season in the region, to promote local wines and cheeses, and to expand the tourist season in the city.
The Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival was inaugurated over a decade ago. The first event was held from October 8 to 10, 2010 in the courtyard of the Lviv Town Hall situated in the very heart of Lviv’s Old Town. Despite being a relatively small affair, the event was a success, so it was decided to hold it annually. Two years later, the festival drew over 120,000 visitors from Lviv and other Ukrainian cities. The event has changed several venues over the years; as of 2024, it was held in the Lviv Art Palace, an exhibition center in downtown Lviv.
The main feature of the festival is an enormous market that offers only the best cheeses and most sophisticated wines from all over Ukraine, as well as regional organic products. During the event, more than 100 winemakers and cheesemakers from all over Ukraine offer their best products at the festival market. The Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival features both large and small wineries, as well as artisan cheesemakers whose products aren’t normally available in large retail chains. The best part of the market is that most vendors offer free tastings and samples of their produce.
In addition to the market, there is an exciting program of events that include wine and cheese tastings, food and wine pairing classes, presentations, various lectures and workshops, special events for kids, musical performances, and more. One of the most exciting events of the festival is a grape stomping competition where everyone can channel their inner Elia Codogno (brilliantly portrayed by Adriano Celentato) from the great Italian movie Il Bisbetico Domato (The Taming of the Scoundrel).
The Great Stomp Ukraine Championship involves two-person teams that compete in grape stomping (crushing grapes by stomping on them with bare feet). Grape stomping isn’t used in contemporary winemaking anymore, but it remains a popular activity at wine festivals. Each team consists of a stomper and an apprentice. The stomper stands in a barrel filled with grapes and crushes them, while the apprentice gathers the juice. The team that produces and gathers most juice wins. Besides, teams that show up in costumes receive special prizes.
Another highlight of the Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival is Lviv Syrnyk Day. The word “syrnyk” means a quark pancake in Eastern and Central Ukraine, but in Western Ukraine it means a type of cheesecake. A staple of Galician cuisine, the Lviv syrnyk was popularized by renowned Ukrainian cookbook author Dariya Tsvek and is considered the city’s signature dessert. On Lviv Syrnyk Day, each visitor of the Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival has a chance to enjoy a piece of a giant Lviv syrnyk baked according to a local recipe.
The Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival has paid admission; there are one-day adult tickets, three-day adult tickets, one-day children’s tickets, and three-day children’s tickets. The price of admission for adults includes a branded festival wine glass that attendees can take home as a memento.
Since its inception, the Lviv Cheese and Wine Festival has been canceled only once: its 2022 edition did not take place due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the festival returned in 2023 despite the war because Ukrainian winemakers, cheesemakers, and other businesses needed support to keep going during tough times, and Lviv residents (including thousands of displaced persons from all over the country) needed a distraction and a source of positive emotions. During the war, the festival became a great platform to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). In 2023, for example, it raised more than 200,000 hryvnias (over $5,400) for two AFU brigades.
Photo: Lviv Cheese & Wine Festival
