Scandi Wines Hope To Win Over Drinkers As European Rivals Fret

Hundreds of commercial vineyards now dot Denmark, Sweden, and even Norway, as the first generation of professional winemakers transforms what was once a niche hobby into a small but flourishing industry, Adrienne Murray and James Brooks reported for BBC News.

For most Scandinavian vineyards, solaris is the grape of choice—an aromatic, hybrid variety well-suited to colder climates.

Far north of France's Bordeaux or California's Napa Valley, more than 10,000 vines grow on a hillside on Zealand, Denmark's largest island.

"People have found out that it is actually possible to grow wine in Denmark, so newcomers are arriving year after year," says Nina Fink, as she shows the BBC her three-hectare (seven-acre) winery, Vejrhøj Vingård.

Nina and her husband, Niels, started their operation 13 years ago after retiring from corporate careers in Copenhagen. They primarily grow green grapes, producing floral white wines as well as sparkling and rosé varieties.

"We have longer summer days with more sunlight than you have in France or Italy, so the conditions are different," she explains.

For most Scandinavian vineyards, solaris is the grape of choice—an aromatic, hybrid variety well-suited to colder climates.

It ripens easily and is more resistant to disease, allowing vineyards to avoid using pesticides. The grape was first bred in Germany in 1975 but was only adopted in Scandinavia in 2004, after which winemaking began to flourish.

Niels Fink notes that people are often pleasantly surprised when they taste the wines from Vejrhøj Vingård. "There's a little twinkle in their eye, then comes this half-smile," he chuckles. "People like it."