Sweden is ‘the new frontier of winemaking’. Meet the growers profiting from climate change as traditional wine-producing regions battle rising heat
- Temperatures in Sweden have risen in recent years, and its wine industry is growing. Instead of small-scale amateurs there are producers with big ambitions
- They talk about ‘gaining momentum’ as French and Italian growers struggle with global warming’s impacts and why, despite hurdles, Sweden will have more wineries
It’s midafternoon in late summer and a fresh North Sea breeze blows through the vines at Kullabergs Vingard – a vineyard and winery in Nyhamnsläge, in southern Sweden, at the vanguard of producers seeking to redefine what Swedish wine can be.
Scandinavia isn’t exactly what connoisseurs would define as prime wine country, and commercial vineyards are still tiny compared to the number in France, Italy or Spain.
But with climate change making for warmer and longer growing seasons, and new varieties of grapes adapted to this landscape, the bouquet of Swedish wines is maturing nicely.
As drought, rising heat and other extreme weather events force traditional wine-growing regions to reassess their methods, Swedish winemaking is shifting from mostly small-scale amateurs to an industry with growing ambition.
Kullabergs Vingard stretches over 14 hectares (35 acres) and most of the vines were planted less than a decade ago.
By 2022, the winery had reached an annual output of over 30,000 bottles – mostly whites; they can be found in high-end restaurants from Europe to Japan to Hong Kong and have won multiple international prizes.