The fact that you make wine in Sweden often surprises foreigners. This is understandable. It is not an obvious wine country. David Morrison, in his blog The Wine Gourd, has taken a closer look at the wine “industry” in Sweden. David is originally from Australia but lives in Sweden.
He’s made a good summary of the history of Swedish wine. From the modest start to today’s 250 grape growers, of which almost 50 work more or less commercially. However, most vineyards are very small. They can be a few hundred square meters up to 15 hectares.
In total, he says, Sweden has about 100 hectares of vineyards.
The grapes are often hybrids that better cope with the Swedish climate. But also pinot noir, chardonnay, merlot, riesling and other Vitis vinifera grapes are planted. David would love to serve Swedish wine to his guests, he says, but, he can’t afford to do it that often. Swedish wine is not cheap. But a lot of effort goes into making it.
Read more about the Swedish vineyards here The Winegourd.