Having your own business can be very hard. There are some ups and downs. But today we are very happy and proud.
Today two of our wines have been launched at the Swedish monopoly!
The process started ages ago…can’t even remember when but probably about a year ago. Many samples and emails later these great Spanish wines are finally available to all Swedes.
The process to sell wines in Sweden is highly regulated and quite complicated. It starts off with offers that are released monthly or bi-monthly. The offers are very detailed. They specify what grape, vintage, ageing, area and price they are looking for. If you manage to get through that, your wines are exposed to extensive tastings where at the end there can only be one winner.
The wines that finally were approved are Grand Elias Mora and V2 Premium produced by Bodegas Elias Mora in D.O. Toro. These are in Spain quite expensive wines and so in Sweden after taxes etc become VERY pricy but nevertheless excellent wines – the top of the pop in Spain!
Founded in 2000, the Elias Mora winery was created by a young team and headed by the energetic and talented Victoria Benavides:
Victoria was determined to use traditional winemaking to make exclusive modern wines in D.O: Toro, Spain. With her in-depth knowledge acquired from her ancestors, she produce well-balanced wines, which are, at the same time, elegant and complex.
Situated between the Duero and Hornija rivers, the existing vineyards originally belonged to a man called Elías Mora and hence the name of the wine. The soil is made up from large pebbles laid over a bed of limestone.
The extreme continental climate together with little rain (400 mm) are perfect conditions for the of the Tinta de Toro grape.
Phylloxera did not affect the Tinta de Toro grape of the region, so the vines are authentic without use of American root stock.
This, in combination with the climate conditions, results in low yields, a factor that is wanted to be able to achieve wines of top quality. It also allows one to appreciate the subtle differences between one vintage and another.
Enjoy the wines and we hope that in the future you will be able to find more top notch Spanish wines at the – Systembolaget – monopoly in Sweden!
September 16, 2008 at 9:25 am
Congrats to you and your team!
At Proodevo we know a lot about the hard winding road to (wine) success in the Scandinavian countries where the Monopoly rule the distribution of alcoholic beverages. It is a tough but in my opinion a fair game to get listed at Systembolaget, Vinmonopolet and Alko. And it is not a coincidence that Scandinavians are among the most well educated wine consumers in the world always within reach of new tendencies.
Your hard work proves that with some organization and a great wine and winery in the back, everything is possible!
Katarina Holmér
Export manager
Proodevo
Spain
September 16, 2008 at 11:20 am
Congratulations! I know how hard you’ve been working to get your wines through, and I am ecstatic to hear that you’ve succeeded. Well done and let’s cross our fingers for more Spanish wines in Sweden in the future!
September 16, 2008 at 11:34 am
Gabriella and Katarina thanks for all the kind words! Am attending a wine and cheese event at the monopoly in October. Will be interesting to see if there are any Spanish wines included…// Anna