🗺️ Swedish wine

Swedish wine (svenskt vin) is wine from vineyards in Sweden, a country where the first vines were planted only in 1999. About twenty years later there were more than two hundred vineyards, most of them small. For a land with long winters, that is quick progress.

Most of the vines grow in Skåne, but you will also find them in Halland, Blekinge, on the islands of Gotland and Öland, and further north in Sörmland, home to the northernmost winery in the country. The biggest vineyard, Arilds, covers 38 hectares. The Swedish wine association counted roughly 100 hectares across the whole country at the end of 2017.

Cold and winter frost remain the main worry, so growers lean on frost-resistant hybrids. White Solaris is the most planted grape and is often called the typical Swedish variety. Beside it you will find red Rondo, Orion, Phoenix, and some Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Styles run from still white, red and rosé to orange and sparkling, often made by the traditional method.

Compare it with Irish wine: Ireland has roughly forty vineyards, so Sweden is further along the road. Both bet on hybrids, and Solaris is also the most planted grape in Denmark.

Buying a bottle takes some planning. Most alcohol is sold through the state monopoly Systembolaget. Wineries may sell on the farm only together with a tour or tasting, and you must be at least 20. So the easiest way to meet Swedish wine is to visit Skåne or Gotland and taste it where it grows.