In January 2023, the Victoria Charitable Foundation was established in memory of Victoria Zamchenko (Kovalchuk) — a goodwine sommelier who tragically died on October 17, 2022, as a result of a drone attack launched by russia on Kyiv. Victoria passed away together with her husband Bogdan. They were expecting a child.
The creation of the Victoria Charitable Foundation is a major and important project for us, consisting of two stages. The starting point was 2022, the year our Vika passed away. There is no "final destination" — we are confident that this project will have its own long-lasting story.
The first stage is the release of limited-edition wines under the name Victoria in partnership with Ukrainian winemakers. We select wines that Vika highlighted during her tastings. All proceeds from the sale of these wines will go towards establishing a vineyard as part of the second stage of the project.
So far, we have released three editions of Victoria wine, which are available for purchase online and in goodwine and Bad Boy stores:
goodwine на Мечнікова
пн. – нд. 08:00 — 22:00
BadBoy Київ
пн. – нд. 09:00 — 22:00
BadBoy Львів
пн. – нд. 09:00 — 22:00
BadBoy Дніпро
пн. – нд. 09:00 — 22:00
The second part of the project is our look into the future, where the vines have already taken root. In 2024, goodwine, together with the team of Serhiy Stakhovsky, planted Burgundy Pinot Noir on the Stakhovsky Wines estate. Our friends — renowned winemakers from Burgundy — have acted as consultants for this project. We expect the first harvest of Victoria wine from Burgundy Pinot Noir in 2028. All proceeds from its sale will go to the foundation and support young Ukrainian families.
In matters of winemaking technology and finding worthy vines in Burgundy, we were assisted by partners — renowned Burgundy producers who volunteered to participate in the project, for which we are, of course, grateful.
This is where the vineyard’s story begins: planning, discussions, and the first steps toward creation. According to the plan, Burgundy Pinot Noir vines will be planted in the spring of 2024, and the first wine harvest is expected in 2028.
Soil samples were sent to our partners in France for laboratory analysis and results. Old vines were uprooted, and the land was prepared.
Final meeting with five distinguished winemakers and our partners in Burgundy. All technical details were discussed, and necessary recommendations were provided for planting Burgundy Pinot Noir. Unexpectedly, this meeting took place on October 17, the anniversary of Vika’s death.
Our friend and partner, esteemed French winemaker Luc Pavelot (Domaine Pavelot), came to Ukraine on an important mission — he evaluated the vineyard work and gave valuable advice. Luc said: “Visiting the vineyard was crucial to feel the project and understand what still needs to be done for planting the best Pinot Noir.”
The vines from Burgundy, which will take root in our soil, arrived in Ukraine. These vines were selected by our partners in France after a full audit of the land and numerous laboratory tests. This may be something that has never been done before in Ukraine.
The long-awaited planting of the vineyard took place on Serhiy Stakhovsky’s land. Part of the big job is behind us, but there is still much work ahead.
We plan to harvest the first Ukrainian Pinot Noir and bottle the first wine. The story will continue.
"Victoria has been working in the company for 6 years and was one of the best sommeliers in Ukraine. She often said: "We should pity ourselves much less". Her death was devastating for all of us, but we decided to transform our pain into good deeds. The fund will implement the projects thanks to which Victoria’s name will be remembered”
Dmytro Krymskyi
Goodwine co-owner