Alaküla says Estonia has been a wine country since 2021

Estonia can officially be called a wine country, wine estate owner Gregor Alaküla told Vikerhommik, ERR reported. He said Estonia has been listed since December 2021 on a European map defining which grape varieties are permitted.

Estonia’s wine-making history stretches back more than a century, Alaküla said, particularly in the production of fruit and berry wines. He is a second-generation wine producer and created the Estonian Wine Route, a tourism network linking wine farms, after visiting California’s Napa Valley with his family.

Alaküla also created the “wine safari”, a trip to several Estonian wineries. He said the tours help introduce Estonian culture abroad through wine. While some local consumers are sceptical about fruit and berry wines and reluctant to pay higher prices, he said foreign visitors have shown strong interest and responded positively.

Running a wine business in Estonia is difficult, Alaküla said. In traditional European wine-producing countries, wine is treated as a food product and is not subject to excise duty, he said, while local wine in Estonia is particularly expensive. He also criticised what he described as a misguided alcohol debate, saying measures intended to address the problem hit small businesses hardest.