Sweden, domestic wine market: See Sweden.

Sweden is the biggest wine market in Scandinavia. 92% of wines are bought via the Systembolaget monopoly stores. Wine accounts for 42% of their sales. A recent premiumisation trend is mainly due to rising excise duties and because consumers are demanding increased quality. Wines from Italy, France, and South Africa account for 50% of wine imports by volume. Around 6.6% of wine sold by Systembolaget is certified organic. Sales of organic wines increased by 62% from 2014 to 2015 alone, following the organic food trend. Consumer fears regarding pesticides and allergens in wine by TV reports boosted sales. See Sweden, Market for Organics. 

As in many other Northern European countries, the Swedish market for organic food has grown steadily since the early 2000s. In 2013 though, it joined another trend – the health trend. According to Magnus Eklöf, product manager at one of the biggest Swedish organic wine importers WineWorld, already environmentally conscious consumers were joined by a larger group of young, highly educated people with a rising income. Health gadgets, such as fitness bracelets and so-called super-foods became popular, and slowly, buying organic food became part of the Swedish lifestyle. Campaigns by Swedish food retailers like COOP’s The Organic Effect gave the movement yet another push.

Bibliography

‘A look at sustainable Sweden’ by Dr Gergely Szolnoki and Johannes Borchert. This article is a summary of The Organic Wine Boom on the Swedish Wine Market, a qualitative study by the authors. It first appeared in Meininger’s Wine Business International, issue 5, 2016, along with data tables.