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Privacy policyFinland may not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of wine, but its drinking culture has some surprisingly local flavours. Finnish producers make wines from currants, blueberries, raspberries, cloudberries and other Nordic berries, while some have also turned birch and spruce into sparkling drinks. Champagne has its place too, particularly in Helsinki’s restaurants, wine bars and hotels.
If you’re looking for Champagne in Finland, Helsinki is the easiest place to start. The capital has a growing food and wine scene, with wine bars ranging from small, independent spots to restaurants where Nordic ingredients meet wines from around Europe.
Outside Helsinki, Finland’s local wine scene becomes much more unusual. Because of the northern climate, Finnish wineries often work with berries and fruit rather than traditional wine grapes. Blackcurrants, bilberries, raspberries, lingonberries and cloudberries are among the ingredients used for local berry wines.
There’s also a distinctly Finnish take on bubbles. Sparkling drinks made from birch or spruce have become part of the Nordic drinks scene, while lehtikuohu, a sparkling drink made from currant leaves, is used as a non-alcoholic alternative at Finnish celebrations.
Finnish berry wines are usually made by small, often family-run wineries, and they can be found around the country. The Valamo Monastery in Eastern Finland is one of the traditional places to try them, while Ainoa Winery in Hollola uses Finnish berries with European winemaking techniques.
If you’re curious about something even more local, Finland’s drink culture extends beyond berry wine. Lonkero, the Finnish gin-and-grapefruit long drink, was created for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and has since become a familiar part of Finnish drinking culture.
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Yes, but Finnish wine is quite different from wine produced in traditional European wine countries. Local producers make wines from berries and fruit, alongside a smaller grape-wine scene.
Finnish wineries use berries such as blackcurrants, bilberries, raspberries, lingonberries and cloudberries. The short growing season gives many of these berries an intense flavour, making them useful for local winemaking.
Finland has its own sparkling drinks, including products made with birch and spruce. There are also Finnish producers making sparkling wines from berries and other local ingredients.
If you want something genuinely local, look for Finnish berry wine or a sparkling drink made with birch or spruce. You could also try lonkero, the Finnish gin-and-grapefruit drink created for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
