As 2022 draws to a close and a new year starts, it is our custom to look back and reflect over the things that stood out. Not just our accomplishments and the goals we set for ourselves, but also what is going on and directly impacts us. And one item that caught our attention in 2022 was the growing chorus of voices calling for Finland to become an official wine-producing country in the EU.

For those who are unfamiliar with the issue, in the EU it is only possible to make “wine” in a country if it is made from grapes grown in the same country as the vinification takes place, and that country must be an official wine producing country. This is due to the problem of overproduction of wine in the EU, therefore they keep the designation pretty exclusive. In fact, of the 27 EU countries, only 26 are allowed to produce wine.

But now, with climate change rapidly moderating the winters here in Finland, especially in the south-west part of the country, it is becoming more and more feasible to grow wine grapes in Finland. In recent years there have been a number of vineyard clubs and associations formed, with the short-term focus on viticulture in Finland, but with a long term goal of eventually producing good domestic grape wines. These efforts have been underway for a number of years, but in 2022 it seemed to take on new urgency with active efforts to bring a wine producing country status to Finland.

At Ainoa, we look forward to when this will happen. We would love to add domestic grown grapes to our portfolio of great Finnish wine ingredients, and the sooner the work starts, the sooner we will be able to see results. But as winemakers and students of history, we also know we will need to be patient. The Napa Valley Vintners trade association was formed in 1944, with the goal of promoting the quality and success of Napa wines, yet it took more than 30 years before Napa became widely acknowledged to produce world-class wines. And Napa started with the perfect climate and soil to grow top quality wine grapes, which is not yet the case in Finland.

Nearer to home, we have heard a number of people point to Denmark, England and Sweden as places outside the traditional wine producing areas which are building successful wine industries. There is no doubt this is the case, but before anyone gets too excited, it is good to take a closer look. Are the wines from these places really at the same level as wines from traditional producing countries? Looking at results from some of the world’s top wine competitions in the past few years (Vinalies Internationales, Mondus Vini, Councours Mondial Bruxelles), we do not find any wines awarded from the British Isles and the only wines from the Nordic Region come from Finland @ Ainoa Winery.

2020 Map from Oenologues de France showing best producers in Europe

How is this possible? It comes down to the fruit. Great wine is produced from great fruit, and great fruit requires the perfect conditions to grow. That turns out to be even more important than the use of grapes versus berries. The best berries in the world grow in Finland, and when treated right, they make wines that are at the same quality level as the best grape wines. We were shocked back in 2017 when the Œnologues de France rated Ainoa Winery’s Vaapukka (2015) as better than all but one of the 1500+ French wines they tasted that year and placed it number 11th out of 3500+ wines. But every year since then, the French Œnologues have placed Ainoa’s products on their list of the best produced wines in the world. They are not the only ones though. To date, Ainoa fruit wines have been awarded more than 50 medals in international wine competitions in France, Germany, California, the UK and Australia. This has led to increasing interest for Ainoa fruit wines in many different places. There is no doubt in our minds that 2023 will finally be the year when Ainoa’s Wines from the forest will be available to more people outside of Finland.

And for those in Finland? Be proud. Someday we will be able to drink top quality wines made from Finnish grown grapes. In the meantime, everyone can enjoy world-class wines made from Finnish berries - wines that uniquely reflect the terroir of Finland.

World Class wines from Finland