Cheese and wine festival in western Ukraine attracts thousan

LVIV, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The 7th Cheese and Wine festival that was held in Ukraine' s western city of Lviv during the weekend, has attracted some 15,000 of visitors, the event's organizer said on Monday.

"The popularity of the festival is growing each year. This is vividly demonstrated by the fact that this weekend, all hotels and hostels in Lviv were completely filled," Andriy Sydor, the director of Lviv Cheese and Wine festival, told Xinhua.

For three days from Oct. 21 to 23, the fest has offered its guests the opportunity to sample a variety of cheese and wine produced by big and small-scale producers in different parts of Ukraine and abroad.

The event featured dozens of wine types, ranging from dry grape wines to sweet fruit drinks, while cheese assortment included hard and soft cheeses in different shapes and sizes.

A total 62 food and wine-making companies took part in the festival, with 15 of them presenting cheese and wine produced outside Ukraine.

Apart from testing sessions, the program of the festival included cooking classes, workshops on pairing different kinds of cheese and wine and a concert of live music.

The organizers of the festival have also established a food market, where vendors were selling home-made liquor and milk products.

On Saturday, a Day of Syrnyk, a fried pancake made of farmer cheese, was held in the framework of the festival. During the celebration, local bakers cooked a Syrnyk weighing 100 kilograms and offered the guests of the fest to taste it.

The annual festival, which was launched in 2010, is aimed at popularization and promotion of Ukraine' s cheese and wine making culture, which has been developing in the country' s western and southern regions for centuries.