This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

15th December 2011

British ambassador serves Ukrainian wine

How good does wine have to be to be served at the residence of the British ambassador in Ukraine?  The answer is that taste in wine is a pretty subjective issue; but that I’m always on the look-out for good Ukrainian products and, of course, for value for money.  I’m also keen on promoting good Ukrainian geographical indicators in an EU context – see my earlier blog on how top experts from Russia, Sweden and Finland have told me that Ukrainian horilka is the best vodka in the world.

I’m therefore delighted to report that following my recent visit to Bessarabia I have found some wines from Ukraine which are excellent quality.  In fact, I have started to serve them at my 1:1 official lunches in the residence.  So far, reactions have been universally positive.  Move over, established wine producing countries?

2 comments on “British ambassador serves Ukrainian wine”

  1. There is some problem in our wine industry.
    When I came to UK, there was a lot of different brandy tastes there. But in this country you should pay sth. like 500 000 UAH to get a license for a wine of horilka production. It is the way to make some corruption schemes to be an ordinary way for business. So, you should like Masandra wines. Some of them are really good. But if you like dry ones, you have no real choice in this country.

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About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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Bessarabia business Odessa ukraine wine бессарабія бізнес україна

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