The Spanish manufacturer believes in the sales of mild wine in Finland, but could it be sold in Spain as well?
VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÉS/BARCELONA
– I wouldn’t buy this, says the self-confessed wine lover Antonio Perez Molerowhen he gets eight percent red wine in front of him.
That is, the kind that has been sold in Finnish grocery stores since June.
– Maybe the weak taste of the wine is due to the fact that there is not enough alcohol. Maybe you could make sangria out of it, he thinks.
Along the same lines, there is someone tasting wines on a rooftop terrace in Barcelona with Perez Kike Bela.
Instead, a mild white wine gets a milder reception from both.
– You could drink wine cold in the summer, even with fish, says Bela, and Perez Molero nods next to him.
– White wine has more flavor, he adds.
Speed up sales with mild wine
Spain’s largest wine producers are enthusiastic about Finland’s reformed alcohol legislation.
Mild wine for the Finnish market is produced, for example, by the traditional Torres winery in Catalonia. It is one of the most famous wineries in Spain and in the whole world.
The home farm of the winemaking family is located in the Penedes wine region, about an hour’s drive from Barcelona.
Opposite there is the manager of the winery, 81 years old Miguel Agustin Torres.
Torres expects the eight percent wine to boost the company’s weakened market situation in Finland.
– The competition has intensified and there is more supply than before. It shows in the sales figures.
Now, however, he believes that mild wine will increase the market share.
Finns are interested in mild white wine
Based on a couple of months, there is reason to be optimistic.
– The wines have sold quite nicely. Especially white wines and medium-sized tap packages have been popular, says the expert Aki Erkkilä From Kesko.
However, he cannot reveal exact sales figures at this stage.
It is still too early to draw long-term conclusions about the attractiveness of new products.
During the first weeks of sales, white wines have been sold the most, but sparkling wines have also found their way into customers’ shopping carts.
– Especially in sparkling wines, the small packaging sizes have surprised with their popularity during the summer sales weeks, in addition to sangria, says Laura Friman from S Group’s communications.
According to Friman, in the first phase it has been seen that the customer buys the familiar brands from the grocery store, which they have previously bought from Alko as stronger.
Winemaker Torres says he hopes that eight percent wines will eventually pave the way for changing Finland’s alcohol policy as well.
– It would be great to have regular, stronger wines in local stores.
“The Spanish are used to normal wine”
Miguel Agustin Torres says that he has tasted the so-called Suomi wine.
– I drank it at the weekend with food and dinner. If you are not a wine expert, you may not even notice the difference, he claims.
According to Torres, the popularity of non-alcoholic wines in particular is slowly growing in Spain as well.
Barcelona wine merchants say the same Montse Ines and Ramon Bonet.
They also get excited above all about white wine.
– Fruity and tasty, although the taste is not very nuanced, analyzes Ines.
According to Bonetini, a mild wine would be in order even in wine country Spain.
– We can see the trend here too, that people are more and more interested in lighter and milder products.
However, Torres is not bringing mild wine to his home market.
– The Spanish are above all used to normal wine, he believes.