Scandinavian wines could be the next big thing during these changing times. Southern Europe is facing unpredictable weather, and the climate is also affecting viticulture.
Scandinavia is not exactly a region that experts would consider a top-tier wine-producing area. However, given climate change, which is promoting warmer and longer growing seasons, as well as new grape varieties adapted to these conditions, viticulture in Sweden is becoming increasingly intense.
As drought, heat and other extreme weather conditions force traditional grape-growing regions to rethink their methods, the Swedish winemaking industry is moving to a higher level – from small amateur holdings to an industry with growing ambitions.
Kullabergs Vingård is a vineyard and winery that wants to show what Swedish wines can be. The area of the vines exceeds 14 hectares, with the majority planted less than ten years ago. By 2022, the winery had reached a significant production volume – more than 30,000 bottles per year, mainly white wines, which can be purchased in high-end restaurants from Europe to Japan and have won several international awards.
“Vineyards in traditional wine-producing countries are being affected by climate change, but we in Sweden are picking up pace,” says 34-year-old oenologist and winemaker Felix Åhrberg. After working in vineyards in many parts of the world, he returned to Sweden in 2017 to manage the Kullabergs Vingård. winery.
Global warming is changing the European wine industry
Vines can withstand heat and drought, and some European regions traditionally practise agriculture without irrigation. However, the last decade has seen the hottest years ever in Europe and worldwide, and even more warming is likely to be expected. This may affect wine quality, where even slight fluctuations in weather change the sugar, acid and tannin content of grapes.
Areas that were once ideal for growing certain grape varieties may become more difficult for viticulture due to climate change. Excessive heat causes grapes to ripen faster, which leads to either earlier harvests that can lower quality, or to stronger, less balanced wines if the ripening process takes too long.
In recent years, vines have been planted further and further north. Commercial vineyards are appearing in Norway, Denmark and elsewhere, including the American West, moving into cooler regions. It is expected that the United Kingdom, famous for its ales and bitter beers, will see the area planted with vines double over the next 10 years. This will be driven by increasing demand for sparkling wines.
“This is the new geographical frontier of winemaking,” says winemaker Felix Åhrberg during a visit to the newly built Kullabergs Vingård winery.
In the south of Sweden, air temperatures have risen by approximately 2 °C over the last 30 years, according to data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Meanwhile, the growing season has lengthened by approximately 20 days.
Swedish winemakers are using new disease-resistant grape varieties
Growing grapes in Sweden is also linked to the widespread introduction of new disease-resistant grape varieties. Most wineries have planted Solaris grapes, which were bred in Germany in the 70s. They are adapted to cooler climates and are more resistant to diseases, meaning that in most vineyards, the use of pesticides can be avoided.
“Solaris is like the national grape variety here in Sweden,” emphasises Emma Bertilsson, a French winemaker and oenologist at the Thora Vingård estate on the Bjäre Peninsula, about 20 kilometres north of Kullabergs Vingård. She and her partner Romain Chichery (Romain Chichery) moved to Sweden shortly after finishing their viticulture studies in France. The young winemakers were attracted by the opportunity to manage their own vineyard and winery at the very beginning of their careers. They intend to combine traditional viticulture with modern environmental practices, such as avoiding the use of pesticides and using cover crops to improve soil quality, as well as encouraging the presence of beneficial insects and biodiversity.
Sweden is more protected against unpredictable weather
The young winemakers point out that, compared to France, they face less extreme climatic events in Sweden. In France, very warm winters can cause early bud burst in vines, which are vulnerable to frost, and severe hailstorms can destroy several years of work in minutes. Furthermore, Romain Chichery argues that there is more freedom to experiment in Sweden, because centuries-old traditions and special regulations are in force in France.
However, working in cooler and wetter conditions requires learning new working methods. While in a hot climate the grapes in a vineyard would be protected by a larger leaf canopy, in Northern Europe the situation is the opposite – leaves are removed from the lower part of the plant to allow the sun to reach the grapes and to reduce humidity.
Maarten van Aalst (Maarten van Aalst), Director General of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and professor of climate and disaster resilience at the University of Twente, believes that the optimism about the growth of the Swedish wine industry is an indicator of the world's rapid climate change. Entrepreneurs “have a positive sentiment about doing business in this area,” he points out. The professor views positively the fact that “partly, climate change is seen as something we can adapt to”.
M. van Aalst, however, also noted the period of heavy rainfall that battered Scandinavia at the beginning of August, destroying dams, ruining roads, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and causing more than 137 million euros in losses. Climate change driven by human activity makes such extreme and destructive meteorological phenomena more frequent in Scandinavia as well.
It should be noted that the wineries (both Kullabergs Vingård and Thora) weathered these storms without major damage.
Sweden is attracting professional viticulture specialists from all over Europe
It must be emphasised that attracting qualified wine industry professionals is somewhat of a problem. Also, purchasing wine barrels and installing modern equipment is often difficult.
The owners of Thora Vingård, Johan and Heather Öberg (Johan, Heather Öberg), point out that Swedish universities offer almost no education opportunities in winemaking or viticulture. They certainly hope that the situation will change. For now, many talented, highly qualified specialists come from abroad – for example, Iban Tell Sabate (Iban Tell Sabate) from the Priorat region in Spain, who has spent decades in viticulture.
Iban Tell Sabate had previously read and heard about the Swedish wine industry. However, most of the people in Spain with whom he discussed it had not even heard of the Swedish wine industry. Iban spends the season at Kullabergs Vingård together with colleagues from France and Austria.
“Italy, Greece, Spain will face problems. For example, there isn't enough water, winters in Southern Europe are too warm,” explains I. Tell Sabate. “Under global warming conditions, Sweden is in a good position, and its wine is good too.”
Government support would help the Swedish wine industry to flourish
An important issue for Sweden's new wine production industry is getting the product to consumers around the world. Unlike in France and other traditional wine-producing countries, the Swedes do not have government support. Wineries are strictly regulated; they cannot sell their products directly to consumers due to Sweden's state alcohol retail monopoly.
“The government does not yet see the opportunities in the wine industry,” says wine journalist and critic Mikael Molstad. “Politicians are not interested because they still view alcohol as a social problem.”
Winemakers hope that vineyards will expand. Although the area planted with vines is growing rapidly, it is currently only about 150 hectares in Sweden. This looks minuscule compared to almost a million hectares in Spain and more than 800,000 hectares in France.
“The volume of wine production, if we assess it by the number of bottles per year, is very small,” says Henrik Edvall, who runs an online shop that exports Swedish wine. H. Edvall's shop sales grow by ~10% every year; consumers want to try something new, but face long and sometimes unpredictable waiting times.
More than 20 years ago, Göran Amnegård (Göran Amnegård) planted the first vines. Only a few believed this experiment would be successful. However, Göran's company Blaxsta continued to produce mainly rare ice wines (ice wine is a type of dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine). They won top international awards.
Göran is saddened by the rather slow growth of Swedish viticulture and expects “many more wineries” as the climate becomes more favourable for growing grapes in the north.
“I see industries developing here that were unimaginable 30 or 40 years ago,” he says. G. Amnegård's small vineyard is located between glacial lakes and thick forests. “We see peaches and apricots growing here. In August, I will pick wonderful peaches in my garden…” rejoices Swedish winemaker Göran.
zemeunvalsts.lv comment regarding Latvia (source: Abavas Winery)
We also have successful winemakers in Latvia whose work and success continue. One of them is the story of Abavas Winery.
The origins of Abavas winery are in Sabile; it has become a strong and growing brand. Its values are a connection to nature, craftsmanship, the courage to do, and the desire to put Latvia on the world wine map. Latvia is also in Northern Europe and can become a wine-producing country. On the banks of the Abava, there once stood the northernmost vineyards in Europe.
In Sabile, Abavas winery's vineyards are grown and developed on an area of almost 5 ha, which are bearing their first fruits, and for several years now Abavas has been successfully making exclusive batches of quality grape wines from Northern and hybrid varieties. Meanwhile, the masterful Abavas team manages the winery near Tukums, creating dozens of excellent drinks from their own apple orchard, as well as actively purchasing harvests from other Latvian fruit and berry growers. Thanks to the successful implementation of various European Union projects and attracted investments, Abavas can be considered the most modern and largest winery in Latvia. Traditions continue, and Latvian wineries will also continue to develop under the influence of a more favourable climate for them. One only has to hope that spring frosts will not slow down this story in any way…
https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/21/swedish-wine-how-global-warming-is-shifting-europes-vineyards-northwards