Ukrainian Winemaker, Us Vets Team Up On A Mission: Showing The Best Of Ukraine, One Glass At A Time

In a wine shop an hour outside of Washington, owner Arthur Lampros sampled a wine from a part of the world that was totally new to him, racking his brain to pin down the tastes on his tongue.

Was there a body of water near the vineyards, he wondered, that would moderate any storms or heat waves buffeting the grapes?

"Absolutely, absolutely" - Ukraine's Black Sea coast, near Odesa, said Giorgi Iukuridze, a Ukrainian winery owner introducing Ukraine's modernized wines to a broad U.S. audience for the first time.

Sam Lerman, a U.S. Air Force vet and one of a number of former American military officers and diplomats in Ukraine backing him in the endeavor, nodded, beaming at the words of praise that followed for many of the wines.

Ukraine is in the eyes of the world as it battles the Russian invasion with the aid of the United States and dozens of other countries. But Lerman said he and the others who teamed up with Iukuridze for the U.S. launch want Americans to see "that Ukraine is more than an ally at war, suffering tremendous tragedy."