Emma Serner and her Italian partner Andrea Guerra chose Sweden instead of Italy when they wanted to start a winery. Climate change in southern Europe is making it increasingly difficult to produce wine in the traditional producer countries.
At their vineyard in Gotland, they grow partly their own grape variety, partly a variety that is also found in other Swedish vineyards and that does not require spraying.
– We usually say that we are not in Sweden or Gotland because we liked this particular place, but because our grapes thrive here. That is why we are here, says Emma Serner.
Both too much and too little rain are problems for winegrowers
In countries like Italy and Spain, winegrowers struggle with both too much and too little rain.
– Where there is a lot of rain, you spray an incredible amount of chemicals. With a lot of moisture, you get even more diseases, which leads to even more climate changes. In other places it has not rained. It is no longer possible to say “this is the weather in this region”. Each vintage offers new surprises, which makes it very difficult to make wine.
Climate change threatens the entire wine industry
Although some growers, like Emma Serner, are trying to find new ways to make wine, climate change threatens to drastically change the entire industry.
– Vintages like this, which we see more often now, mean that there are fewer and fewer harvests and much fewer wines that come on the market. Then maybe there are fewer people who dare to venture into this. It is a generational work many times, but when it looks bleak financially, it may not attract young, new-thinking, innovative people.
Click on the clip to hear Emma tell why she and her partner chose Italy and see more about Europe’s warmer weather in the Foreign Office: Europe is grilled on SVT Play.