Swedish wine
Encyclopedia
Swedish wine, in terms of wine
produced commercially from grapes grown in Sweden
, is a very marginal but growing phenomenon which saw its first beginnings in the late 1990s.
In less strict usage, the term "Swedish wine" has also been applied to fruit wine
from Sweden, which has a very long tradition, and wine produced in Sweden from imported grape juice, which goes back longer than actual viticulture
in Sweden.
, Vitis vinifera
, occurs naturally, and there is no tradition of wine production from grapes in the country. Some sources claim that some monasterial vineyard
s were established when the Roman Catholic church
established monasteries in Sweden in Medieval times, but traces of this supposed viticulture are much less evident than the corresponding activities in England
, for example.
Small-scale growing of grapes in Swedish orangeries
and other greenhouse
s have occurred for a long time, but the purpose of such plantations were either to provide fruit (grapes) or for decoration or exhibition purposes, and not to provide grapes for wine production.
Towards the end of the 20th century, commercial viticulture slowly crept north, into areas than the well-established wine regions, as evidenced by Canadian wine
, English wine and Danish wine
. This trend was partially made possible by the use of new hybrid grape varieties, and partially by new viticultural techniques.
The idea of commercial freeland viticulture in Sweden appeared in the 1990s. Some pioneers, especially in Skåne (Scania), took their inspiration from nearby Denmark, where viticulture started earlier than in Sweden, while others took their inspiration from experiences in other winemaking countries.
Perhaps surprisingly, the first two wineries of some size were not established in the far south of Sweden, but in Södermanland County
close to Flen
(in an area where orchard
s were common), and on the island of Gotland
, which has the largest number of sunshine hours in Sweden. Later expansions have mostly taken place in Scania
, though.
There are also small-scale viticulturalists who grow their grapes in greenhouses rather than in the open.
Small quantities of a few commercial wines made their way into the market via Systembolaget
from the early 2000s.
The Association of Swedish winegrowers estimates 30-40 vinegrowing establishments in Scania, but this number includes hobby growers with a fraction of a hectare of vineyards.
, wine production in Sweden has to abide by the European Union wine regulations
. However, as long as the total commercial vineyard area in Sweden stays below 100 hectares (247.1 acre), Sweden does not have to apply planting rights. Since this part of the regulations will be abolished in 2015, Sweden will probably never be affected by them.
So far, Sweden has only enacted a minimum of national legislation and regulations related to viticulture, which includes a list of allowed grape varieties. However, there are no protected designations of origin
for Swedish wine, which means that Swedish producers are restricted to marketing table wine
s, and can not market quality wines. This means several restrictions on labelling practices. For example, the vintage year may not be mentioned on the label.
White grapes
Red grapes
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
produced commercially from grapes grown in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, is a very marginal but growing phenomenon which saw its first beginnings in the late 1990s.
In less strict usage, the term "Swedish wine" has also been applied to fruit wine
Fruit wine
Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients ; they may also have additional flavours taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any fermented alcoholic beverage except beer...
from Sweden, which has a very long tradition, and wine produced in Sweden from imported grape juice, which goes back longer than actual viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
in Sweden.
History
Sweden is well north of the area where the European vineVine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
, Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
, occurs naturally, and there is no tradition of wine production from grapes in the country. Some sources claim that some monasterial vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s were established when the Roman Catholic church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
established monasteries in Sweden in Medieval times, but traces of this supposed viticulture are much less evident than the corresponding activities in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, for example.
Small-scale growing of grapes in Swedish orangeries
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
and other greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s have occurred for a long time, but the purpose of such plantations were either to provide fruit (grapes) or for decoration or exhibition purposes, and not to provide grapes for wine production.
Towards the end of the 20th century, commercial viticulture slowly crept north, into areas than the well-established wine regions, as evidenced by Canadian wine
Canadian wine
Canadian wine is produced in mainly southern British Columbia and southern Ontario. There is also a growing number of small scale producers of grapes and wine in southern Quebec and Nova Scotia. The two largest wine-producing regions in Canada are the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia and the...
, English wine and Danish wine
Danish wine
Danish wine is wine made in Denmark. Despite its northerly location, it has been developing a wine industry since the 20th century that has benefited from global warming and the legalization of wine production in 1999. Today there are small vineyards in Jutland and Lolland growing various grape...
. This trend was partially made possible by the use of new hybrid grape varieties, and partially by new viticultural techniques.
The idea of commercial freeland viticulture in Sweden appeared in the 1990s. Some pioneers, especially in Skåne (Scania), took their inspiration from nearby Denmark, where viticulture started earlier than in Sweden, while others took their inspiration from experiences in other winemaking countries.
Perhaps surprisingly, the first two wineries of some size were not established in the far south of Sweden, but in Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
close to Flen
Flen
Flen is a locality and the seat of Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 6,114 inhabitants in 2005.Flen is most known for being the one place on earth where hot dogs are free....
(in an area where orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s were common), and on the island of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, which has the largest number of sunshine hours in Sweden. Later expansions have mostly taken place in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, though.
There are also small-scale viticulturalists who grow their grapes in greenhouses rather than in the open.
Small quantities of a few commercial wines made their way into the market via Systembolaget
Systembolaget
Systembolaget is a government owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol. Systembolaget also sells non-alcoholic beverages. To buy alcoholic beverages at Systembolaget one has to be 20 years of age or...
from the early 2000s.
Situation today
Only a handful of Swedish producers can be considered to be commercial operations, rather than hobby wine makers. In 2006, the Swedish Board of Agriculture counted four Swedish companies that commercialised wine produced from their own vineyards. The total production was 5 617 liters, of which 3 632 liters were red and 1 985 liter white, and this amount was produced from around 10 hectares (24.7 acre) of vineyards.The Association of Swedish winegrowers estimates 30-40 vinegrowing establishments in Scania, but this number includes hobby growers with a fraction of a hectare of vineyards.
Regulations
As a member of the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, wine production in Sweden has to abide by the European Union wine regulations
European Union wine regulations
European Union wine regulations are common legislation related to wine existing within the European Union , the member states of which account for almost two-thirds of the world's wine production...
. However, as long as the total commercial vineyard area in Sweden stays below 100 hectares (247.1 acre), Sweden does not have to apply planting rights. Since this part of the regulations will be abolished in 2015, Sweden will probably never be affected by them.
So far, Sweden has only enacted a minimum of national legislation and regulations related to viticulture, which includes a list of allowed grape varieties. However, there are no protected designations of origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
for Swedish wine, which means that Swedish producers are restricted to marketing table wine
Table wine
Table wine is a wine term with two different meanings: a wine style; and a quality level within wine classification.In the United States, table wine primarily designates a wine style - ordinary wine which is neither fortified nor sparkling....
s, and can not market quality wines. This means several restrictions on labelling practices. For example, the vintage year may not be mentioned on the label.
Grape varieties
The following grape varieties are authorised for commercial wine production in Sweden:White grapes
- Bacchus
- Bianca
- ChardonnayChardonnayChardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
- GrapeKerner (grape)The Kerner grape is an aromatic white grape variety. It was bred in 1929 by August Herold by crossing Trollinger and Riesling. Herold was working at a plant breeding station in Lauffen in the Württemberg region of Germany. This station belonged to a state breeding institute headquartered in...
- Madeleine AngevineMadeleine AngevineMadeleine Angevine is a white wine grape from the Loire Valley in France that is also popular in the United Kingdom, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Washington State.. The early-ripening grape is a cross between Madeleine Royale and Précoce de Malingre grapes and is a riesling-type that grows well in...
7672 - Malingre PrécoceMalingre PrécoceMalingre Précoce is a white variety of grape of French origin used primarily as table grape and to some extent for wine. It was first cultivated by a French gardener named Malingre in the vicinity of Paris around 1840, who created it from seedlings of unknown origin...
- MerzlingMerzlingMerzling is a white grape variety used for wine. It was bred in 1960 by Johannes Zimmermann at the viticultural institute in Freiburg, Germany by crossing Seyve-Villard 5276 with the cross Riesling x Pinot Gris....
- Müller-ThurgauMüller-ThurgauMüller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
- OrionOrion (grape)Orion is a white wine grape variety of German origin. It was created by Dr. Gerhardt Alleweldt at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Siebeldingen in 1964, by crossing the Vitis vinifera variety Optima with the hybrid grape Villard Blanc...
- OrtegaOrtega (grape)Ortega is a grape variety used for white wine. It was created in 1948 by Hans Breider at the Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Wein-, Obst- und Gartenbau in Würzburg and was released with varietal protection in 1981. It is a cross between Müller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe...
- PhoenixPhoenix (grape)Phoenix is a white variety of grape of German origin used for wine. It was created by Dr. Gerhardt Alleweldt at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Siebeldingen in 1964, by crossing the Vitis vinifera variety Bacchus with the hybrid grape Villard Blanc.In 2008, there were of Phoenix...
- ReichensteinerReichensteinerReichensteiner is a white wine grape that is mainly grown in Germany) and England), although New Zealand also grows a small quantity. It is a cross between Müller-Thurgau and Madeleine Angevine x Calabreser Froehlich, and was first bred in Germany during 1939.In England, it is the 2nd most grown...
- RieslingRieslingRiesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
- Sauvignon BlancSauvignon blancSauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
- Seyval BlancSeyval BlancSeyval Blanc is a hybrid wine grape variety used to make white wines. Its vines ripen early, are productive and are suited to fairly cool climates.Seyval Blanc is grown mainly in England, and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, as well as to a lesser extent in Canada...
- SiegerrebeSiegerrebeSiegerrebe is a white wine grape that is grown primarily in Germany with some plantings in England, Washington State, and British Columbia's North Okanagan. Siegerrebe was created by German viticulturalist Dr. Georg Scheu in 1929 at a grape-breeding institute in Alzey in Rheinhessen, by crossing...
- SolarisSolaris (grape)Solaris is a variety of grape used for white wine. It was created in 1975 at the grape breeding institute in Freiburg, Germany by Norbert Becker.- Pedigree :...
- Vidal BlancVidal BlancVidal Blanc is an inter-specific hybrid variety of white wine grape, a cross of Ugni Blanc and Rayon d'Or . It manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates while maintaining good acid levels....
- Zalas Perle
Red grapes
- AcolonAcolonAcolon is a German wine grape variety. It is a crossing between Blauer Lemberger and Dornfelder.It was created in 1971 at the Staatliche Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein- und Obstbau in Weinsberg , Germany. The variety was officially recognised in 2002. It ripens early and produces a very...
- Cabernet DorsaCabernet DorsaCabernet Dorsa is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. It was created at a grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg wine region of Germany in 1971 by crossing Dornfelder and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Dorsa received varietal protection and was released for general...
- Cabernet FrancCabernet FrancCabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
- Frühburgunder
- GaranoirGaranoirGaranoir is a variety of red wine grape. It was created by André Jaquinet and Dominique Maigre at Station Fédérale de Recheres en Production Végétale de Changins in 1970 by crossing Gamay and Reichensteiner...
- Léon MillotLéon MillotLéon Millot is a red variety of hybrid grape used for wine. It was created in 1911 in the Oberlin Institute in Colmar, Alsace, by the French viticulturist Eugène Kuhlmann by crossing the hybrid grape Millardet et Grasset 101-14 O.P. with Goldriesling, which is Vitis vinifera...
- MerlotMerlotMerlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
- Pinot NoirPinot NoirPinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
- RegentRegent (grape)Regent is a dark-skinned inter-specific hybrid grape variety, used for making wine. It has both European and American vine species in its pedigree and a broad resistance against the most significant fungal diseases which affect grapes, such as downy mildew.Regent was created in 1967 by Professor...
- Rondo