Self Entrepreneur – Oenologist: ANNA OSTROVSKYJ

TRL: Who is Anna Ostrovskyj?
I am Italian, with a part of Ukrainian blood from my grandfather, thus I am a “blend”. I have been passionate about wine and spirits from a very young age thanks to my family, and I trained in the oenology of wine and spirits through study and active practice. I formed my own consulting company, 4 years ago, Coeur De Chauffe, to assist distilleries through the path of spirit creation (choice of the raw material, fermentation, distillation, maturation, eventual blending), preferring, amongst them, the ones working with pure sugarcane juice.

At the present moment, I assist some clients in the French Caribbeans and one in Italy, all producing pure sugarcane juice rum; in addition, I continue my activity as a trainer for Whisky Club Italia and F.I.S.A.R.

My first objective is to transmit my passion through the products I help to produce, the profession of training and writing, and my other great love: I manage the blog coeurdechauffe.com where I speak in three languages about rum, spirits, and wine.

The different aspects of my activity have in common the creativity and the need to explore. I am someone who loves to learn constantly and to invest time and resources in my personal development and evolution, besides this, I am very happy to share my knowledge with open-minded people: I believe that knowledge finds its true nature only when shared. I am truly passionate about fermentations and always try to innovate in this particular segment of my job which I believe is the real core of any alcohol making process.

TRL: What does the rum mean to you? What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?
To me, rum is joy and sharing, “partage” in French, and this is the lesson I learned on my very first trip to the Caribbean, in Cuba, in the early 2000s: people were happy and festive without having great things, a “trago de ron” was sufficient to start a friendly discussion, a little party or getting you to know other people or sharing your experiences. Rum is a happy spirit for people who are happy and grateful inside, and I try to bring this with me every day.

TRL: Three essential characteristics that define the rum according to your perspective.
A terroir’s (natural and human) reflection, an eclectic and joyful spirit.

TRL: Benefits that the rum industry has given you.
I have the luck to live and learn in a beautiful place of the world like Guadeloupe is, I can travel and get to know other people and women who are an inspiration to me, I can take all this richness I earned and put it in my everyday job.

TRL: What’s another thing you are passionate about, in addition to rum? Why?
Writing. I have written since I was a little girl, as I am shy and usually, I write better than I speak. I love to write about rum, but I also write about other things not strictly related to my job.

TRL: What is your favorite place for drinking rum?
Any place but with friends

TRL: Favorite drink + Recipe
A very dry Hemingway Special, with a part of an old 1960s Bacardi, a part of Agricole, and a drop of Jamaican aged rum, a little less Maraschino than the usual 15ml, local grapefruit and lime juice. Favorite recipe: this comes directly from my birthplace, in the north of Italy, and is Passatelli, a special, humble pasta made from bread crumbs, eggs, and parmesan, and then Parmigiana di melanzane. I love cooking.

TRL: Why is it important to educate the rum consumer?
An educated Rum consumer will educate others, and, thanks to the social value of rum, will inspire others to consume the happiest of the spirits with joy and moderation, but also to deepen their knowledge and share it.

TRL: Any tips to train the palate and taste a good premium rum?
Go to the events and salons and speak to producers to discover and taste as many products as you can to form your tasting baseline. Rum trips are the second important step: visiting distilleries and exploring and tasting directly in the birthplace of spirits is crucial. Searching for a serious training course to give you the correct dictionary and methodology is what completes passion and personal abilities. WSET Spirits Courses are very good.

TRL: What are your next goals in the rum industry?
Explore as many styles and production and maturation ways as possible.

TRL: Plans you have when you leave the rum industry.
Continue to learn (I will have more time!). Continue to write and educate consumers and be passionate.

TRL: How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page?
I am definitely an underdog and not so “social” so maybe my website where I write is a good way to learn more about me. https://coeurdechauffe.com/