Swedish wine harvest beats record: "almost twice as big"



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The heat of summer has been a record harvest for Swedish winegrowers. But by 2018, even a peak of quality will remain.

While the extreme heat and drought caused most farmers to look grim this summer, the joy was even greater among the wine growers. The hope of a record harvest is now entered. In the Swedish wine association, it is thought that the harvest is 30 to 50% higher than normal. Sofrakis wall at the Klagshamn vineyard south of Malmö do not think that's enough.

"I think the harvest in Sweden is twice as big and it contains about 200 tonnes of grapes, because the point of sale has become bigger, but also the increase in the total area. I would say that the harvest is of average quality, he says at TT.

"We are of course delighted, but it is especially good for Sweden.There will be more than maybe for the first time can try the Swedish wine.

Record in quality

In the Arild vineyard of the Skåne Kulla Peninsula, the largest vineyard in the country and where the last grapes were harvested until the end of October, it was decided not to water the logs during the scarcity. summer water.

"If we had watered, we would have also reached a record, but the quality of the grapes we have harvested has never been so good.What is special this year is that we have created new types of Because we had so many ripe grapes that could last for a while, we were able to make dessert wines for the first time, says Anette Ivarsson, who runs the vineyard with her husband Jonas.

Fight with the economy

The most produced on the farm is dry white wine. The goal is to reach a total annual production of 60,000 liters over the next few years. However, even though Arild's vineyard, which has eight full-time employees, is Sweden's largest and as it grows, homeowners are struggling with the economy.

– The wind does not go together. But since you need a lot of guests at the restaurant, hotel and delin, it's all over. But it will be better if we can sell our products on the farm, "said Anette Ivarsson, addressing the issue with the big F for the Swedish winery, which is still at the baby stage compared to the old wine-growing countries.

Yes to farm sales

A majority in the Parliamentary Social Committee, made up of allied parties and Swedish Democrats, said in May that the sale of alcohol was limited to a limited extent. A so-called announcement was sent to the government, but after that, nothing happened.

"It would be great if we had a government in place," she notes briefly.

Swedish wine producers want to take advantage of Swedish suction for closely related food products. Wine tours are also extremely popular to the south and, according to Swedish producers, they should also be in the country.

"People all over Europe buy wine produced in close cooperation, we are in Italy right now and here we sell almost exclusively local wines," explains Anette Ivarsson.

Employment for the rich?

The Swedish Wine Association and the National Farmers Federation have drawn up an inventory of Swedish winegrowers and their economy this year. One point that emerges is that three-quarters financed investments with own resources. Bank loans and investment aids are only a small part.

Could viticulture be particularly attractive to people who earn a lot of money, for example in the computer or the stock market? Anette Ivarsson bursts out laughing at this theory.

"This is not true at all.We did not have money to start, we work almost 24 hours and all we earn is reinvested in the vineyard.

The facts: What are Swedish vine growers?

Swedish vineyards are still at the baby age compared to traditional wine countries. According to the survey of the Association of Swedish Wine and the LRF survey, 40% of producers have been active only for five to ten years.

The average age of producers is 55 years old. The majority of wine producers are men, but in three out of four vineyards, women play a leading role.

In more than half of the crops, income is only enough for one to two full-time jobs.

In 2017, 80% of producers said that profitability was very or very bad. For the years 2018-2020, the outlook is better. 50% have dismal economic prospects, but the proportion of those who have responded to profitability is good or very good has increased significantly.

Source: Swedish Wine / LRF Association

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