Aho

“Ce vin de Finlande se pare d'une robe aux nuances plutôt ambre que rose mais sa teinte dorée est éclatante. Le nez est changeant et complexe : un tour de nèfle et de framboise puis une note fumée puis de l'ananas frais, de la poire, de la rose et des épices douces. Toujours fumé en bouche avec ses notes de fenugrec, ce vin propose aussi des saveurs de fraise fraîche et de sauge. Très aromatique et doux, surprenant mais franc, il s'étire avec la fraîche amertume de la gentiane. A tester avec du chocolat noir ou/et une salade d'orange.”

- Judge’s comments, Modial du Rosé competition, Reims 2021

Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Strawberry wine

Ainoa Aho is a unique wine / fruit wine blend created as a collaboration between Ainoa Winery in Hollola and Chateau Carsin in Bordeaux. Sommelier Samuil Angelov used wines from these two wineries to create a balanced blend that has a nose of luscious fresh-picked Finnish strawberries, with the assertive acidity, strong body and fresh character of a classic French white wine.

Winery Process

The grapes used in Aho are hand-picked, gently pressed then fermented and aged in oak barrels until it is ready to send to Finland. Once there, it is combined with Ainoa’s strawberry wine. The strawberry wine is made from fruit grown in Lahti, which is fermented and aged in tanks for at least 8 months prior to blending.

The wine is filtered before it is bottled.

Wine details

13.5% Alcohol
Residual sugar 30 g/l
70 cl clear bottles with cork
Clear orange color
Best served well chilled (4-6°C)

Available at:

Gold Medals:

Havu

"Upea matka metsään"

5/5 tähteä

 - Jouko Mykkänen, Viikon viini, Helsinki Sanomat  28.02.2019

Lingonberry, Honey & Spruce Spring Forest Wine

Light and fresh, Havu is a blush wine to accompany the first blush of warmth that arrives with spring. Made from Finnish forest lingonberries, honey and spruce tips. A perfect wine to pair with smoked salmon. It also goes with salads, berry desserts and lighter fair.

Winery Process

Like our winter forest wine Kaamos, Havu is naturally fermented from wild forest lingonberries, then sweetened with Finnish honey. Havu is then flavored with young spruce tips collected in the spring to give it a freshness from the forests that complements the wine’s acidity.

Havu is aged in steel tanks at least two months before it is filtering and bottling.

Wine details

5% alcohol
75cl clear bottles with cork
Residual sugar 110 g/l
Clear red in color

Available at:

Ilta

Merlot and Raspberry wine

Ainoa is our second collaboration with Finnish-owned Chateau Carsin in Bordeaux. Ilta is a soft yet full-bodied red wine with just a hint of raspberry to highlight its Finnish soul.

Winery Process

The grapes used in Ilta are hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel, then aged before it is sent to Finland. Once there, it is blended with Ainoa Vaapukka, and then further aged to let the flavors fully meld before bottling.

Wine details

14.0% Alcohol
Residual sugar 15 g/l
70 cl clear bottles with cork
Deep burgundy color
Best enjoyed at cool room temperatures (16-18°C) or chilled to 6-10°C.

Available at:

Kaamos

"5/5 tähteä ... Tämä on yksi tyylikkäimmistä maistamistani glögeistä."

 - Jouko Mykkänen, Viikon viini, Helsinki Sanomat  21.12.2017

Lingonberry, Honey & Spice Winter Forest Wine

Kaamos can be served warmed or chilled as a dessert wine. Brighter, fresher, lighter in body and less sweet than a traditional glögi. Made with lingonberries, honey and traditional glögi spices.

Winery Process

Kaamos is naturally fermented, not fortified like many alcoholic Glögis being sold.  We take a more challenging but better tasting route. Using difficult to ferment Finnish lingonberries, we use our own specially developed method to coax the yeast into producing just the right level of alcohol.

We then add spices, sweeten with Finnish honey, and age at least two months before filtering and bottling.

Wine details

5% alcohol
75cl clear bottles with cork
Residual sugar 120 g/l
Clear red in color

Gold Medals:

Kaste

Lingonberry, Honey & Meadowsweet Summer Forest Wine

Floral, bright and lightly sparkling, Ainoa Kaste captures the flavor of summer in the Finnish forests. In addition to lingonberries and honey, we add meadowsweet (mesiangervo), a wild flower that has been used with honey-based wines for thousands of years across northern Europe. One taste of Kaste, and you will know why. Perfect to sip while relaxing on the terrace.

Winery Process

Kaste is fermented from lingonberries, sweetened with honey, and flavored with meadowsweet before being filtered and carbonated using the Charmat method before it is bottled. The process takes at least four months including aging to properly develop the flavors.

Wine details

5% alcohol
50cl clear bottles with cork and safety string
Residual sugar 110 g/l
Reddish orange in color

Gold Medals:

Kuningatar

"Découvrez ce nectar envoûtant... La robe grenat aux reflets ambrés laisse place à un nez intense et explosif de cerise à l'alcool, de confiture de mûre, de mirabelle et de cardamome. La bouche, ample et avec une très belle sucrosité, révèle des arômes de figue, de kirsch, de liqueur d'orange et de cannelle, délicieusement intenses. La persistance aromatique est remarquable. On le découvrira volontiers sur un dessert à base de chocolat noir."

 - Judge's comments, Vinalies Internationales Competition, Paris 2020

Blueberry-Raspberry dessert wine

Kuningatar means “queen” in Finnish, but it also means a delicious mix of blueberries and raspberries that is widely used as a flavor in foods.  We were surprised to learn it had rarely been done as a wine.  But sometimes what looks obvious in retrospect is overlooked until a fortunate set of circumstances allows it to happen.

Winery Process

Kuningatar is a blend of two separate wines: Vaapukka and Silkki, which are then allowed to age and the flavors to meld over several months before being filtered and bottled.  The first time we made it, the blend happened by accident, but it was the only time we ever made a new wine that turned out perfect on the first try.  So perfect that in 2020 it was awarded a gold medal by the Oenologists of France in their annual tasting – only the second gold medal they had ever awarded to a wine made from berries.

Wine details

12.5% alcohol
Residual sugar 120 g/l
37.5cl dark bottles with glass closures
Deep purple color
Best served at cellar temperature 10-13°
Vegan Friendly

Available at:

Gold Medals:

Sametti

"Todellinen yllättäjä - tulee muuttamaan käsityksen suomalaisista marjaviineistä

… suoraviivaisen herkullinen se on."

  - Arto Koskelo, Perjantaipullo, Iltalehti  02.12.2016

Blueberry dessert wine

Strong and rich, with an almost port-like character, Sametti is perfect when you want to sip something warming after a meal or when talking with friends. It can be served with berry desserts, chocolate cake or with creamy cheeses like Camembert.

Winery Process

Sametti starts in the Finnish forests, where wild blueberries (bilberries) ripen in the long summer days of July.  They are then picked at the peak of flavor.  That is saying something; the small wild blueberries are packed with far more flavor than the larger, cultivated blueberries.

But even so, it is not easy to turn them into wine.  Blueberries are a difficult fruit to ferment.  Using a typical “fruit wine” method the wine will often turn out thin and with little flavor. We overcome those issues with a proprietary process that includes the use of different sugars and a method that coaxes the yeast to perform well.

The bulk of the fermentation happens on the berries, extracting tannins, flavonoids and very rich color elements from the skins. It is then pressed off the solids and aged in tanks for six month before being bottled.

Wine details

13% alcohol
Residual sugar 130 g/l
37.5cl dark bottles with glass closure
Deep purple color
Best served at cellar temperature 10-14°C
Vegan Friendly

Available at:

Gold Medals:

Silkki

“Miellyttävän mausteinen ja ennen kaikkea kuiva mustikkaviini yllättää tyylikkään hillityllä ja herkullisella makuprofiililla.”

- Ilkka Siren, Maku-lehti, 2020 Issue #5

Dry Blueberry wine

Medium bodied and fruity, yet dry.  Silkki is a perfect wine to accompany game foods such as duck, grouse or venison. 

Winery Process

Wild blueberries (bilberries) are ubiquitous in the forests of Finland, growing in every region of the country.  There is a long tradition of families visiting the woods in July, buckets in hand to gather as many berries as they can.  These are typically baked into pies, served over ice cream, or frozen to be enjoyed through the rest of the year.

We had a different idea of what to do with blueberries.

Our blueberries are fermented on the skins before being pressed and aged for at least nine months, with a portion aged in oak before being blended back in.  The oak provides pronounced yet silky tannins to give great structure to the wine, and allow it to complement rich foods.  The long aging time allows the character to fully develop and all the elements of the wine to come together smoothly.

Wine details

12.5% alcohol
75cl blue bottles with cork
Deep azure color
Best served at cellar temperature 13-16°C
Vegan Friendly

Available at:

Suven Taika

“De couleur bronze, ce vin brille d'éclats fruités. Au nez, alternent la fraise compotée, la confiture de quetsche, la mirabelle et le citron confit avec la poire cuite, la mandarine et le poivre de Timut. La bouche légèrement sirupeuse est ronde mais avec une fraîcheur associant la pomme croquante aux nuances épicées de cumin, de curcuma et de cardamome. On trouve encore la fraîcheur acidulée de la bergamote qui joue d'équilibre avec la sucrosité riche. Un vin superbement fruité pour un apéritif ou un dessert aux fruits.”

- Judge’s comments, Modial du Rosé competition, Reims 2021

Strawberry dessert wine

Rich, nuanced and wonderful. Suven Taika is crafted from fresh strawberries grown by Koivistoisen Mansikkapaikka in Lahti. It holds the record for the fastest of our wines to receive international recognition. Less than a month after we released it, it became the first ever wine made without grapes to be awarded a gold medal at Le Mondial du Rose in France.

It can be served with chocolate, with berry desserts or to accompany a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Winery Process

All the Finnish berries are extraordinary, but there is no berry more anticipated by Finns than the strawberries that start ripening in mid June. And it is no wonder; Finnish strawberries are not like the ones from other places. The Nordic climate produces berries that are small but sweet and packed with flavor.

As soon as we tasted them, we knew they could make a special wine, but working with strawberries is challenging. It took us twelve years of trials before we felt the wine was ready. In addition to top quality fruit, we found timing and careful monitoring of the wine progress was critical. We use a cool fermentation in stainless steel, and age cool for 4-6 months before exposing the wine to some gentile contact with oak before bottling.

Wine details

13% alcohol
Residual sugar 120 g/l
35cl clear bottles with glass closure
Reddish-orange blush color
Best served chilled 6-10°C
Vegan Friendly

Available at:

Gold Medals:

Vaapukka

"Un produit complet qui restera à jamais dans nos mémoires. ... Une petite expérience inoubliable."

 - Judge's comments, Vinalies Internationales Competition, Paris 2017

Raspberry dessert wine

To sip after a meal or with a dessert. Very rich, with a tartness from the berries that balances the sugars and cuts through sweetness in the mouth. Pairs wonderfully with creamy desserts like pannacotta or cheesecake - and also with chocolate.

Winery Process

Most berry wines are diluted with a high percentage of water. Not Vaapukka where the majority of the liquid volume is pressed from the berries themselves. Fermented cool to create a rich, concentrated flavor and preserve the fresh aroma of the raspberries.

The wine is then pressed off the solids, and aged in tanks for at least four months before being filtered and bottled.

Wine details

12.5% alcohol
Residual sugar 120 g/l
35cl clear bottles with glass closures
Deep ruby color
Best served at cellar temperature 10-13°C
Vegan Friendly (starting with 2017 vintage)

Available at:

Gold Medals:

Valokki

"Avnjut med en crème brûlée med apelsin och ni har en match made in heaven."

 - Linda Forssell, Vinrutan, HBL 29.8.2018

Cloudberry dessert wine

There is no fruit that better expresses the unique spirit of Lapland than cloudberries, and Valokki captures that brilliantly in a wine. An amazingly versatile wine, Valokki complements salty foods like liver pate and cheese, spicy foods, or a wide range of desserts.  For a traditional dessert with style, try it with leipäjuusto.

Winery Process

Grapes are the only fruit that naturally contains every element needed to produce great wine when they are picked, but cloudberries are surprisingly close. We need to compensate for the lower-than-ideal sugar content, but we can then ferment and process Valokki very similar to how a grape wine is done. By using a high concentration of cloudberries per liter, Valokki achieves a stronger and richer cloudberry flavor than other wines or liquors.

After fermentation is complete, the wine is aged in tanks for four months before being filtered and bottled.

Wine details

10.0% alcohol
Residual sugar 120 g/l
37.5cl clear bottles with glass closures
Clear golden color
Best served at cellar temperature 10-13°
Vegan Friendly (starting with 2017 vintage)

Available at:

Viive

Dry Apple Cider

David learned to make cider in the US, using traditional New England methods (based on British methods) to create dry, crisp ciders full of apple flavor.

So when our friends at Uotilan Tila mentioned to him they often had extra apples, he told them “they shouldn’t go to waste, I’ll buy them and make cider.” But one issue after another got in the way, and it took three years before we had a product, which was appropriately named “Viive.”

Winery Process

Cider is the easiest alcoholic beverage to make. Simply start with good apples, press, ferment, age, carbonate and bottle. Done.

The key step occurs in the orchard, which is why we rely upon skilled farmers to provide us with the best apples. As we are using the crop which was unsold, the mix of varieties, and the finished cider changes each year. So far, every vintage we have made has been unique but still delicious.

Wine details

5.2% Alcohol (2019 vintage) 4.5% Alcohol (2020 vintage) 6.2% Alcohol (2021 vintage)
Residual sugar <5 g/l
33 cl brown beer bottles with crown caps
Clear golden color
Best served chilled (4-8°C)

Flavored Viive

Apple Cider flavored with berries

For years, we have been looking for a way to recycle the pressed berries we use to make our wines - there is still a lot of flavor in them.  It seemed like a waste to just put them into the compost. Traditionally the pressings for wines are used to make grappa, and we tried to find a distiller in Finland to work with us to make a Finnish berry-based grappa, but everyone we asked was too busy making great gin.

After trying several thing that didn’t require a still, we hit upon flavored apple cider. The rich apple base holds and enhances the aromas from the pressed berries to create a fresh and wonderfully balance flavored cider. The fact that the apples themselves are also “remains” seemed fitting. This is a true circular-economy product.

Note that these ciders are only made when pressed berries are available from the wine production, and thus which flavors are in stock at any given time will vary.

Winery Process

To make our flavored ciders, we macerate the pressed berries in our Viive apple cider, then press again to separate the liquids from the solids. The cider is then aged, filtered and bottled. Because each batch is made from different apples and uses different vintages of berries, the finished product varies. The ciders can range from very dry to semi-sweet.

Wine details

4.5% Alcohol (2020 vintage)
Residual sugar <5 g/l to >30 g/l (batch dependent)
33 cl brown beer bottles with crown caps
Clear with a color that comes from the berries
Best served chilled (4-8°C)

Special Edition Wines

Only available at select venues or for limited times

Some of our wines are only made in limited quantities and are only sold at selected locations. Kultainen, Barrel-Aged Sametti, Taival & Haave are examples of these, but we will be releasing more in the future. Companies that wish us to create exclusive wines for them should contact us to explore possible options.

Some wines created as special editions can become part of our regular selection. Kuningatar was originally a special edition wine. Others may keep their exclusive status, or may only be available for a limited time.

We look forward to exploring the wide range of ingredients and methods we can use to make fine wines in Finland that reflect the terroir of the Norther Forests.

Elo - Sold Out

Unique Beetroot wine

Beets have been a staple of Finnish country diet for centuries, and continues to be popular to the present day.  Elo will evoke memories of the time you were a child in your grandmother’s kitchen.

A strong earthy nose yields to a surprisingly balanced taste.  With just enough residual sugar to call out the natural sweetness of beets, Elo is not your typical wine.  Serve it with goat or blue cheese, liver, or other assertive foods.  It holds its own and complements strong flavors. 

Winery Process

How do we capture this widely loved Finnish flavor that in a wine? 

We start by extracted the flavor from Finnish beet roots, and then adjust it by adding sugar and lemons (for acid) before fermenting using a modified white wine method.  The wine is then aged in bulk for close to a year to tame an intense earthiness. During this time, a portion of the wine is intentionally oxidized and then blended back in to give sherry-like notes that contribute to its nuanced profile.

Wine details

14% alcohol
75cl blue bottles with glass closure
Residual sugar 110 g/l
Intense red in color
Best served at room temperature 18-20°C
Vegan Friendly (starting with 2017 vintage)

Haave

Damson Plum (kriikuna) dessert wine

Made from fruit grown in our village of Miekkiö. Haave displays a wonderful flavor and aroma of plum, with an assertive alcohol presence to warm you during the holidays.

Pairs perfectly with beef, ham, game meats, cheeses and many desserts.

Winery Process

After the plums were picked, we removed the pits and then added sugar and yeast. The pulp was fermented until it reached the desired alcohol level before we pressed to separate the liquid from the solids and stopped further fermentation.

After the wine was fermented, it was allowed to age in tanks for a year before it was bottled.

Special info on the process

For those who love Haave so much they would like to make it themselves, you can do so! Haave was used as the example recipe (adjusted to make the process easier for hobby winemakers) in the cover article David wrote for Winemaker Magazine’s June/July 2023 issue.

Wine details

15% Alcohol
Residual sugar 95 g/l
35 cl clear bottles with glass corks
Bright red color
Best served well chilled (4-6°C)

Available at:

Sointu - Sold Out

Extra dry sparkling honey and cloudberry wine

A wine that is absolutely unique in the world.  We spent close to ten years learning how to process honey and berries into a fine sparkling wine, and only released Sointu in time to celebrate Finland’s 100 years of independence.  A special wine that harmoniously blends the flavors of honey and cloudberries for a special occasion.

Winery Process

We start with pure Finnish honey produced by an artisan apiary in Orimattila, and add just enough cloudberries to create a balance with the honey flavors.  No other sugars are used during the fermentation except honey and the small amount naturally present in the berries.

After the wine is fermented, it is allowed to clear in tanks for at least three months.  Then more honey and more yeast is added, and the wine is bottled where a secondary fermentation occurs.  After the secondary fermentation is completed, we age the wine on the lees in a cool cellar for at least one year before riddling and disgorging by hand.  A small dosage is then added to make the wine extra dry, and a cork and cage are installed.  The total process takes a minimum of 18 months.

Wine details

11.5% Alcohol
Residual sugar 15 g/l (Extra Dry)
75 cl clear bottles with natural corks
Clear golden color
Best served well chilled (4-6°C)

Taival

Dry Sea Buckthorn & Apple Mead

Most meads are sweet, but that isn’t how we made Taival. Combining the sea buckthorn (Tyrni) with the honey and apples created a tart, dry beverage with good body and a wonderful aroma from the berries.

Enjoy Taival with shellfish such as rapu. Also works with white fish or pasta with rich cream sauces.

Winery Process

Forest honey from Orimattila was fermented with the berries, then pressed and blended with the separately fermented apple wine before aging in tanks for two years. Following aging, Taival was filtered and then bottled, where it continues to improve as it matures.

Wine details

8% Alcohol
Residual sugar 5 g/l
70 cl clear bottles with glass corks
Pale golden color
Best served chilled (6-10°C)