Sweden Is the New Unlikely Land of Wine

Originally published on Bloomberg.com on October 3, 2025 as “Sweden Is the New Unlikely Land of Wine”

As traditional wine regions grapple with climate change and a decline in drinking, sales of domestic produce are surging in the Scandinavian nation.

At Kullabergs Vingård, set in lush farmland about a mile from the coast in southwest Sweden, the peak of the annual harvest is fast approaching.

Every Friday, winemakers at the estate pick a few hundred berries and mash them to get enough juice to analyze the sugar, pH and acid levels. New recruit Helena Lindberg, who’s made wines in Italy, France and New Zealand for the past 30 years, says that data combined with old-fashioned tasting and chewing, will tell when the time is just right to start harvesting and turn the fruit into wine.

More than 1,000 miles away from traditional wine districts in Provence or Tuscany, business is booming in the Swedish region. As vineyards have recently won the right to sell directly to consumers, Kullabergs Chief Executive Officer Victor Dahl says sales are up about 15% to 20% from last summer. The Swedish industry is growing despite the challenges besetting winemakers all over the world—declining rates of consumption, increasing costs of production and, of course, the changing climate. Indeed, as climat change affects conventional areas, Sweden is the latest outpost to offer what’s called “cool climate wines,” joining the ranks of Oregon, Germany and New Zealand.

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