Exploring Swedish wine (4) Arilds Vingård
Website: https://arildsvingard.se/
Arilds vineyard is the largest in Sweden, and is based in north-west Skåne. Owners Annette and Jonas Iverson began the project in 2007, beginning with 5000 vines. Annette went to study wine in Germany and they told her that unless she wanted it to be an expensive hobby, she should expand the project in order to make it financially sustainable. So now they have 38 hectares of vines.
Allied to the vineyard is a substantial hospitality business, with 23 rooms and some glamping in the middle of the vines. One-third of production is drunk on site by guests, then a third goes to restaurants and a third goes to the monopoly.
They ran babydoll sheep for several years in the vineyards, and they worked well, but they weren’t compatible with cover cropping so they stopped using them. Solaris is the main variety here with 12 hectares in production and another 8 planted. I also saw some Fruhburgunder and Cabernet Cortis. She’s also growing Souvignier Gris and is a big fan of it, as well as trialling a new red PIWI that is as yet unnamed (it’s just a number), but which shows real promise.
The PIWIs are very economical to grow, says Annette.
The winery approach is one of minimal intervention, with no chaptalization or deacidification. Some ferments are wild, some inoculated. They have just got a gyropalate and a disgorging/bottling line, so they will be focusing more on sparkling wine.
THE WINES
Fruhburgunder 2022 (tank sample)
This spent 1 year in French oak. Sappy green nose with fresh red cherries and herbs. The palate is grippy but fresh with lovely supple fruit. Fine grained with some nice detail and delicate green herbal notes. Sappy and delightful. 90/100
Cabernet Cortis 2022 (tank sample)
Very green and leafy on the nose, with some chalkiness. The palate is green with some peppery detail and nice red fruits, as well as a touch of blackcurrant. This is quite distinctive, and very green, but I like it. 88/100
SWEDISH WINE
- The Swedish Wine Tasting 2024
- Thora Vingård
- Ljungbyholms Vingård
- Arilds Vingård
- Kullabergs Vingård
- Lottenlund Estate
- Skepparps Vingård
- Flyinge Vingård
- Jesper Friberg
- Flädie Mat & Vingård
