Blaxsta Vingård: Swedish merlot and ice wine

A holiday in South Sweden: that means no vineyard visits, our teenagers must have thought! Yippee! But alas, their wine-loving mum DID find a vineyard to visit, even on this holiday, even in Sweden. After some tips from people that ice wine was made in Sweden, and some major googling, I found Blaxsta Vingård, near Flen. And by chance (is it…?) Flen was on our way from one campsite to the next. I emailed owner Göran Amnegård and after some mails back and forth it was decided to go to lunch at Blaxsta’s summer bistro Kung Blacke on August 1, one day before this special vineyard restaurant closed for the season.

Amnegård is not only Sweden’s best known winemaker, but also a renowned chef, with 17 years of experience in Canada. He and his family returned to Sweden at the start of the new millennium, to a farm behind the 12th century church of Blacksta, not very far from Stockholm. They planted vines, vinifera and non-vinifera, mainly chardonnay, merlot and vidal. Vidal vines take up 80% of the vineyard and go into an ice wine that has won several prizes already. Wine is also made from other fruits: raspberries, lingon berries, apples, plums etc…. The winery is housed in a historic barn from around 1600, wine cellars date from 100 years earlier. The vines are planted on gently sloping, south facing terrain, partly behind the huge red colored wooden barn, partly along the main road in front of the little church. Most of the vines have a beautiful view to a glittering lake, as do the visitors of the restaurant. The soil consists of clay and lots of rocky underground.

We arrived on a very sunny day, and were greeted by Amnegård ’s wife, who told us a lot about the winery, the wines and the surroundings. For lunch, we decided on a slice of roasted wild boar with a selection of summer vegetables from the garden, accompanied by a glass of the Blaxsta Merlot 2006. The wine was very fruity, lots of red currants, also spicy, with mild tannines and good balance. It is made completely in stainless steel. A very good merlot, more to our taste than the Chilean one we brought along on this trip (Luis Felipe Edwards, Merlot 2006).

Lunch was finished with some delicious desserts: I had lightly cooked rhubarb, Nico chose the Canadian cheesecake, while the kids chose a heavy chocolate muffin with wild strawberries. Of course we had to taste the vidal ice wine, from 2007. The price was rather high (€ 19,50 for a small glass), but the experience was worth it, considering the high taxes on alcohol in Sweden and the extreme circumstances the wine is made under. Very spicy notes, tones of wax, good acids, good balance.

Since Amnegård had to cook lunch for a growing number of guests, there was not much time to talk extensively. I managed to chat some more over the kitchen counter about his choices of grapes, while he decorated the plates with an assortment of summer vegetables. I asked him why he chose vinifera. ‘To distinguish myself from other Swedish wineries, who work with the new grapes only’, was the answer. And of course because he thinks it IS possible, even here.

Merlot was chosen over pinot noir for example because merlot needs less days to ripen from blossom to berry. Moreover, daylight in Sweden lasts longer (Blacksta is on the 59th N latitude!) so the grapes get more light daily then, say, in France. That is one reason that Blaxsta and other vineyards in Sweden manage to produce very drinkable (even excellent in Amnegård ’s case) wines.
Another thing I learned is that his vinifera vines are ungrafted! Phylloxera has no hold in Sweden; it does not survive -3 °C; and that temperature is certainly reached every winter. Other diseases like oidium and mildew are non-existent. Visiting wine specialists from Bordeaux couldn’t find any bug, fungus or whatsoever in Amnegård’s vineyard. That makes the plant material very healthy, and Blaxsta is working completely organically.

All in all this was a wounderful experience, with good food, good wine, nice people, beautiful surroundings and stuff for some stories! And one day, we will certainly go back to try the Chardonnay. Blaxsta doesn’t sell to the state liquor shops anymore, to much hassle. Therefore, we were not able to buy anything. But you can order directly at the estate, online!