Eva Aller works for a small wine and spirits importer Handpicked Wines in Helsinki, Finland. The company has its headquarters in Sweden. Eva has a good understanding of what these Nordic countries have in common and what separates them in tastes and practices.  

One common factor is that the wine and spirit business is heavily regulated by both governments. Importers have to sell their products through state monopoly shops, Alko in Finland and Systembolaget in Sweden. 

This affects both how you can operate your business and how you can market your products. What is it like to deal with a monopoly? How can you get your products on the shelves in Alko, and most importantly, into the minds and tables of the consumers?

How to sell wine and spirits in a state monopoly?

Compared to other European countries both Sweden and Finland have a heavily regulated alcohol market. Both countries have state monopolies in selling wines and spirits to the consumers. But the systems have changed over recent years and have their differences too. 

For example in Finland importers can now sign their products up to Alko’s webstore. They must sell through Alko and the consumers must pick up their purchases from their nearest Alko store (home delivery is not allowed). But this way importers can sell their products to consumers even if they can’t get them on the shop shelves. 

So nowadays Alko basically serves as a webshop for wine and spirit dealers. This is good for consumers who today have over 11 000 products to choose from. “But as an importer, how can you get your wines noticed?” Eva asks.  

In Sweden, there is a bigger freedom in presenting alcohol products in both print and social media. “In Finland, the leeway for marketing is much narrower and I don’t see it changing very soon”, says Eva. “So tasting events and wine fairs are important marketing tools for us to get the consumers acquainted with our products”, she continues. 

What’s the future like for wine? 

In our podcast, we talk about the wine business in the Nordics but also about wine trends and changing tastes. What affects wine growing today? Can we predict the future? 

Consumer tastes change. Italian Prosecco has surpassed the Spanish Cava in popularity in the sparkling wine segment. Chilean reds and whites have reigned supreme in Finland for years, but the trend seems to be changing towards Europe. “Buyers are more and more concerned about sustainability and the long freight distances are an issue”, Eva ponders, “But the taste is still the number one factor in choosing wines.” 

Climate change affects wine growing just like every other part of agriculture. Vineyards are looking for ways to decrease irrigation by increasing the vineyards’ biodiversity. “Growing grasses and flowers in vineyards keeps the moisture in the ground and you need less water. And it makes the soil better so you need fewer fertilisers”, Eva Aller explains. 

Even though winemaking is a practice thousands of years old, there are many ways you can tweak it to make it more sustainable in modern ways: “making the bottles lighter, making the wineries more energy efficient etc. There’s a lot you can do.” How about the recent trend of natural wines, the idea of tampering with the wine-making process as little as possible? “If you take a look at the wine making process, natural wines are a throwback to the age old ways, the way wine has always been made”, Eva says. In some ways we have travelled a full circle.