Climate Change Has Sweden Growing its Wine Industry
2023-08-31
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1Most people would not connect the country of Sweden with the tradition of fine wine making.
2It is far north of the famous wine-growing areas in France, Italy or Spain, where the tradition is ancient.
3However, climate change is making for warmer and longer growing seasons in Sweden.
4There are also new kinds of grapes created especially for the country's environment.
5As a result, winemaking is a growing industry.
6Its growth comes as drought, rising heat and other extreme weather are forcing traditional winemaking areas to re-think their growing methods.
7The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reports temperatures in the country's south have increased by about 2 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years compared to the 30 years earlier.
8The experts also say Sweden's growing season has lengthened by about 20 days.
9Felix Åhrberg is the chief oenologist, or expert winemaker, at the 14-hectare Kullabergs Vingard, near the North Sea.
10He noted that the rising temperatures are hurting vineyards in traditional winemaking countries.
11At the same time, "we are gaining momentum," he said.
12Kullabergs produces about 30,000 bottles of wine yearly.
13Some of their wines have won prizes in different competitions.
14Costly restaurants from Hong Kong to Europe sell the wine.
15Even some oenologists from France are settling in Sweden to grow grapes and careers.
16"It is the new frontier of wine making and grapes grow best on their coolest frontier," Åhrberg said.
17Emma Berto is one such winemaker from France who now works at Thora Vingard, about 20 kilometers from Åhrberg's land.
18She and her partner, Romain Chichery, moved to Sweden for the chance to lead a vineyard just after completing their education.
19They say Sweden's climate is more predictable than France's.
20There, the early spring weather can be too warm and the grapes begin to develop before they should.
21In addition, Berto and Chichery said they want to use more sustainable grape-growing methods, including limits on insect poisoning.
22Chichery said France has been making wine for so long, there are many rules winemakers must follow.
23In Sweden, it is a newer business so there is more freedom.
24However, there is still a lot to learn about growing grapes in Sweden.
25The main grape grown in the country is Solaris, which began in Germany, and grows well in Northern Europe.
26The winemakers treat the vines differently, too.
27In Sweden, the leaves are removed from the vines so the grapes can receive more sunlight.
28In France and Spain, sometimes winemakers are worried the grapes will get too much.
29The Thora owners who hired the French winemakers are Johan and Heather Oberg.
30They depend on wine experts from the traditional winemaking countries because Swedish universities do not have study programs in the science and practice of winemaking.
31Maarten van Aalst is a climate professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
32He said businesses are often first to identify and react to climate change.
33He said it is good that "climate change is partly something we can adapt to."
34But, he warned, it is not all good weather in Sweden.
35He pointed to recent heavy rains that caused flooding, resulting in $150 million in damage.
36He said bad weather is becoming more common because of human-caused climate change.
37In Sweden, vineyards account for about 150 hectares of land.
38The number is one million in Spain and about 800,000 in France.
39Swedish winemakers hope that as the industry grows, the government will make rules that help them expand their businesses.
40For example, right now in Sweden, wine makers cannot sell their own wine.
41People who want a bottle must purchase from a government-run store.
42Mikael Molstad writes about wine.
43He said the Swedish government is not in favor of making it easier to buy alcohol.
44"Politicians," he said, "still see alcohol as a social problem."
45Goran Amnegård is a prize-winning winemaker who started 20 years ago.
46He is pleased to see more wineries opening in Sweden.
47He thinks more people will come to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and longer growing time.
48"I can see things growing here that were unthinkable 30 or 40 years ago," Amnegård said as he looked out over his small vineyard.
49"We're seeing fruit trees like peaches and apricots. I'm getting beautiful peaches in August."
50I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Most people would not connect the country of Sweden with the tradition of fine wine making. It is far north of the famous wine-growing areas in France, Italy or Spain, where the tradition is ancient. 2However, climate change is making for warmer and longer growing seasons in Sweden. There are also new kinds of grapes created especially for the country's environment. 3As a result, winemaking is a growing industry. 4Its growth comes as drought, rising heat and other extreme weather are forcing traditional winemaking areas to re-think their growing methods. 5The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reports temperatures in the country's south have increased by about 2 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years compared to the 30 years earlier. The experts also say Sweden's growing season has lengthened by about 20 days. 6Felix Åhrberg is the chief oenologist, or expert winemaker, at the 14-hectare Kullabergs Vingard, near the North Sea. 7He noted that the rising temperatures are hurting vineyards in traditional winemaking countries. At the same time, "we are gaining momentum," he said. 8Kullabergs produces about 30,000 bottles of wine yearly. Some of their wines have won prizes in different competitions. Costly restaurants from Hong Kong to Europe sell the wine. 9Even some oenologists from France are settling in Sweden to grow grapes and careers. 10"It is the new frontier of wine making and grapes grow best on their coolest frontier," Åhrberg said. 11Emma Berto is one such winemaker from France who now works at Thora Vingard, about 20 kilometers from Åhrberg's land. 12She and her partner, Romain Chichery, moved to Sweden for the chance to lead a vineyard just after completing their education. They say Sweden's climate is more predictable than France's. There, the early spring weather can be too warm and the grapes begin to develop before they should. 13In addition, Berto and Chichery said they want to use more sustainable grape-growing methods, including limits on insect poisoning. 14Chichery said France has been making wine for so long, there are many rules winemakers must follow. In Sweden, it is a newer business so there is more freedom. 15However, there is still a lot to learn about growing grapes in Sweden. The main grape grown in the country is Solaris, which began in Germany, and grows well in Northern Europe. 16The winemakers treat the vines differently, too. In Sweden, the leaves are removed from the vines so the grapes can receive more sunlight. In France and Spain, sometimes winemakers are worried the grapes will get too much. 17The Thora owners who hired the French winemakers are Johan and Heather Oberg. They depend on wine experts from the traditional winemaking countries because Swedish universities do not have study programs in the science and practice of winemaking. 18Maarten van Aalst is a climate professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. He said businesses are often first to identify and react to climate change. He said it is good that "climate change is partly something we can adapt to." 19But, he warned, it is not all good weather in Sweden. He pointed to recent heavy rains that caused flooding, resulting in $150 million in damage. He said bad weather is becoming more common because of human-caused climate change. 20In Sweden, vineyards account for about 150 hectares of land. The number is one million in Spain and about 800,000 in France. 21Swedish winemakers hope that as the industry grows, the government will make rules that help them expand their businesses. For example, right now in Sweden, wine makers cannot sell their own wine. People who want a bottle must purchase from a government-run store. 22Mikael Molstad writes about wine. He said the Swedish government is not in favor of making it easier to buy alcohol. 23"Politicians," he said, "still see alcohol as a social problem." 24Goran Amnegård is a prize-winning winemaker who started 20 years ago. He is pleased to see more wineries opening in Sweden. 25He thinks more people will come to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and longer growing time. 26"I can see things growing here that were unthinkable 30 or 40 years ago," Amnegård said as he looked out over his small vineyard. 27"We're seeing fruit trees like peaches and apricots. I'm getting beautiful peaches in August." 28I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 29Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 30__________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32wine -n. an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes 33grape -n. a fruit that grows on a vine that is used to make wine or juice 34momentum -n. forward movement or progress toward a goal 35frontier -n. an unexplored area, or a place far away from a developed part of the world 36sustainable -n. something that can be done often and in a repeatable way 37practice -n. the way of doing something 38adapt -v. to change and adjust to outside forces or pressure 39We want to hear from you. Are you interested in trying wine from Sweden?