La Svezia sta lavorando per ottenere l'IGP

Since Sweden became an EU official wine country in 1999, development has gone at record speed. Today, there are nearly 200 hectares of vineyards and two years ago SBOV, Sweden’s Branch Organization for Oenology & Viticulture, was formed. Work is now underway with a PGI approval to be able to write, for example, Wine from Skåne instead of Wine from Sweden. Skåne is Sweden’s southernmost region where most of the vineyards are located.

Emma Serner, chairman of SBOV and founder of Långmyre Vinery on Gotland in the Baltic Sea, says:

– We hope to assert ourselves more internationally with a geographical designation of origin. PGI is a quality development.

Work is currently underway to define what distinguishes wines from the various landscapes. The intention is to target quality, not a specific flavor profile.

– We will be liberal so as not to paint ourselves into a corner. The focus is on quality, that the wine has no defects.

Regarding regional differences in terms of terroir, Emma Serner says as an example:

– Here on Gotland, we have calcareous soil, dry weather and a late spring, which leaves a certain mark on the wine. In Skåne, it is windier and more rain, with late, warm autumns.

The hope is to get the PGI system approved in a year or so. Proceeding with PDO may come at a later stage.

– The PDO is much narrower and then we end up on much smaller areas than today’s landscapes. We start with PGI as a way for Swedish wine to market itself.

As far as the assessment is concerned, the ambition is to form a sensory center in collaboration with, among others, the Swedish University of Agriculture.

In Sweden, around 95% of the grapes are PIWI, where Solaris still is the big player. However, more and more attention is directed towards the new generation of PIWI, where especially Kullabergs Vingård is very optimistic about Souvignier Gris, Cabernet Noir and Pinot Nova.

Feb. 2023 Lena Särnholm      lenasarnholm@hotmail.com