A lot has happened in Swedish vineyards in recent years. When we at BKWine organized a series of wine fairs in Paris for “Scandinavian wines” over a few years ago in the early 2000s, a handful of wine producers who made wine in Sweden participated. We weren’t overly impressed by most of the wines back then. But obviously things have progressed quickly. I had an unexpected opportunity to taste a series of Swedish wines a little while ago and I was impressed.
There are said to be around 200 hectares of vineyards in Sweden, despite the fact that the country is a good distance north of the 50th parallel, which as a rule of thumb is the northernmost limit for viticulture. The association Svenskt Vin counts a total of 169 Swedish wineries, most, however, hobby wineries and most in the southern parts of the country. The biggest challenge with growing wine in Sweden is of course the climate, which despite global warming, is a little too cold for the vine. But the alcohol monopoly also makes it difficult for Swedish winegrowers to survive, as it makes it next to impossible to reach out to consumers, although there has recently been a little more hope that farm sales may be allowed. Cellar door sales are not allowed, although a recent proposal from the government may change that and allow sales at the winery.
This is a longer version of an article published on Forbes.com.
Some time ago (actually in connection with the launch of our latest book Framtidens vin/The Wine For The Future) I happened to stroll over to the Spritmuseum (the museum of spirits) on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm. It is a really good restaurant with a good selection of wines. They had a couple of Swedish wines on the list that I was curious about. The very friendly and accommodating waiter served me small samples of the two or three wines on the list. When he understood that I was interested in Swedish wines in particular, he said, “We had a tasting the other day of Swedish wines. There was a little left over from some of the wines, but they are not on the list. Would you like to taste?” Of course, a question to which I answered a resounding YES. (Thank you very much for this opportunity!) So, by chance, “twenty years later” I got to try a number of Swedish wines again. And, of course, a lot has happened. I was overall impressed with the quality (though perhaps not the prices).
Here are some very brief words about these wines. If you have the opportunity to try them, at Spritmuseum’s restaurant or elsewhere, I can only recommend it.
Thora Vingård, Pure 2023 (Thora Vineyard)
Bjäre Peninsula
Herbaceous, high acid, aromatic, a bit like a sauvignon blanc.
Made from the solaris grape, which is a climate-resistant hybrid (cross between Vitis vinifera and another Vitis). The vineyard is located 800 meters from the sea.
Flyinge Vingård Ambra 2021 “orangevin”, orange wine (Flyinge Vineyard)
Quite powerful, skin contact style, cloudy, excellent example of an orange wine.
This too made from solaris. Flyinge is fifteen kilometres east of Lund, a university city in southern Sweden.
J Friberg Urskog 2021, Vingården in Klagshamn (The Vineyard in Klagshamn)
Juicy, berries, easy drinking, uncomplicated.
A blend of rondo and solaris made with macération carbonique (carbonic maceration, like many beaujolais). The vineyard is located in Klagshamn near the coast just south of Malmö, the biggest city in the region. “Urskog” is Swedish for primeval forest, which gives perhaps an indication of the intention with the wine.
J Friberg Myrmark 2021, Vingården in Klagshamn(The Vineyard in Klagshamn)
Light body, “natural” in style, slightly volatile, with some astringency. Orange wine.
This too made from solaris.
Josefinelust Brut Zéro Rosé 2021, Kullabergs Vingård (Kullaberg Vineyard)
Powerful rosé, good body, very fresh fruit, very good sparkling.
Made from several different grape varieties. Second fermentation in bottle (“traditional method”) with twelve months on the lees. The wine is named after a panoramic viewpoint on the Kullaberg hill at Nyhamnsläge three miles north of Helsingborg.
All of these wines, as most Swedish wines, are made in the province of Skåne (Scania).
I can also unreservedly recommend the restaurant both for their wine selection and for their food. A quiet and pleasant place with a beautiful view, perfect for a light gastronomic lunch. On the day I was there, the restaurant had made a small mistake. They had ordered 200 oysters instead of 20 (or some other similar number) so they had special promotion on oysters. I’m not particularly fond of oysters, but if Swedish oysters are on sale, surely one has to taste one anyway. My mollusc was followed by a an excellent toast with shrimps and roe, so-called Toast Skagen, a must on the few occasions I am in Sweden.
Sweden can obviously make interesting and delicioius wines, even if these were mostly in the “natural wine” style, which is an acquired taste and may not suit most people. But this excellent outcome probably does not mean that Sweden is the next great wine country in the wine heaven (you know, the climate…). But it can become an interesting experimental workshop for new grape varieties, for example disease-resistant ones (hybrids, sometimes called piwi) and a source of new experiences for the wine enthusiast. And with a looming farm sale (or even closing down of the antiquated monopoly one day) it might become financially viable.
