Meet the winners of the 2026 Artémis Domaines Golden Vines Victims of Conflict Scholarships!
One is calling in from Paris, the other from Tarragona. One is the manager of a small French wine shop, the other a data analyst at a luxury wine trading company. In many ways, this year’s Artémis Domaines Golden Vines® Victims of Conflict Scholars – Eleonora Kolieichik and Anastasiia Fedchenko – are very different to one another, but they have a monumental experience in common. They have both had to flee their native Ukraine because of the war and begin again in a foreign country.
For Eleonora, having to move unexpectedly is not new. Originally from Eastern Ukraine, she had to escape on her own to Kiev in 2014, her family unable to accompany her, without as much as a winter coat in her possession. When the war broke out in 2022, she was forced to flee again, trudging for miles with her suitcase and sleeping on the floor of a school gym alongside thousands of other Ukrainians hoping to cross the border. Today, however, we find Eleonora embracing all things wine in the French capital. “I love Paris!”, she exclaims and tells me all about her favourite Parisian flea markets, where she has found many a treasure, and how she tries, often unsuccessfully, to wake up early enough on a Sunday to do her shopping at the local food market.
Similarly, Anastasiia and her husband are content in Tarragona. “We feel safe and comfortable here,” she says, explaining that, while it wouldn’t have been their first choice to settle down in Spain, Anastasiia had relatives living in the area who helped them find a place to live and the locals have gone above and beyond to make them feel welcome and part of the family. “I know some people from my country who have moved abroad and not had this experience, but Spain is a great country with very warm people. They have open hearts and they want to help you.” She wonders whether it was fate that led her to Spain. She started learning Spanish at the age of 23 but gave it up, and now she is back in the classroom again with her husband, trying to master the Spanish language so that they may assimilate better into Spanish society.
So what did it feel like to receive the happy news that they had won an Artémis Domaines Golden Vines® Victims of Conflict Scholarship? Anastasiia did not trust her own eyes when she received the email from Romané Basset , Co-Founding Trustee & Head of Operations at the Gérard Basset Foundation . She reread it multiple times and admits with a laugh that she even fed it into Chat GPT just to make sure she had definitely understood it correctly. Eleonora, on the other hand, shifted into her practical gear instantly, responding with several questions as to what was needed of her next. It was only a few days later that she began to process her big win. “My emotions are sometimes blocked”, she explains. The instability back home in Ukraine has made her laser-focused in the face of change, and feelings often come second.
None of that is visible in our call today, however; she is buzzing with enthusiasm over her upcoming Artémis Domaines internship. I ask what they are both looking forward to the most with the experience. “Oh my god, I’m so excited!” Eleonora exclaims. “Wine of that calibre needs a good team. It’s all about the people. I want to talk to the team and find out what their mindset is, see how it all works from the inside.” She is equally curious about the wine tourism side of Artémis Domaines, and the history that their clients have with the brand. Did their parents use to drink their wine? Did they discover it in a restaurant? She cannot wait to speak to everyone and get a full picture of the company and what that magic ingredient is that makes it so special. Anastasiia, a huge fan of Michael Jackson, shares a quote of his which she feels sums up her approach to the upcoming internship: “The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work”. Having the chance to look behind the scenes, observe, work in the winery and see Artémis Domaines’ wine production in real life she believes is invaluable. “These are things which you cannot find in a book.” She is very familiar with the Artémis Domaines estates from work, and she is incredibly excited to get to experience the company first-hand.
The whole team at the Gérard Basset Foundation warmly welcomes Eleonora and Anastasiia into our alumni community and wish them both the best of luck for their Artémis Domaines internships!
Article written by Isabelle Anderbjörk , Head of Marketing at the Gérard Basset Foundation