Time for wine harvest in Stockholm

Ten tons of grapes from Tuscany arrived at The Winery Hotel on Friday September 13th. The grapes were then sorted and pumped into the tanks in the hotel's in-house winery situated in the lobby.

– This is the most important day of the year for us. A day when the craftsmanship behind the bottle is the star, Sofia Ruhne, who is supervising the wine making at The Winery Hotel, says.

During the harvest weekend several wine related activities took place. Grape stomping, wine tasting, grape sorting and guided tours of the wine making area for example.

– Stockholm is not exactly known for it’s many wineries and at The Winery Hotel the atmosphere is very similar to a vineyard in Tuscany, Sofia says.

The Winery Hotel is the northernmost urban winery in the world and the knowledge of winemaking comes from the Ruhne family who has made wine at the Terreno estate in Tuscany for more than 30 years.

– To take winemaking to Stockholm, to show the art that lays behind a really good bottle of wine is a dream come true for us.

The Winery Hotel is a winery and a hotel with two restaurants, a wine bar, a rooftop wine bar and several conference rooms. It opened its doors in January 2016 and to make wine as part of the concept has shown as a winning idea.

– Everybody loves a good glass of wine but that is something you can get in many places. We have made it possible to have a vineyard experience in a country where wine isn’t a part of the culture.

During 2019 harvest, students from Swedish restaurant, tourism and hotel education programs joined the hotel staff and curious guests. They get to learn how the grapes are cared for and crushed before they go to the fermentation stage in the winery’s stainless-steel tanks.

Ejnar Söder is one of the owners of The Winery Hotel.

– Knowledge of winemaking is, of obvious reasons, extremely low in Sweden, and it is important that these students get a thorough insight into how grapes become wine. To become a good employee in a hotel or in a restaurant, it is as important to know about wine as it is to know how to make a meatball, Ejnar Says.

The wine harvest at The Winery Hotel is once a year but the wine is the heart of the hotel every day, all year round. Guests can follow the grape from the field to the bottle throughout the year during guided tours of the winery, wine tastings, educational wine events and wine classes.

Some facts:

The Winery Hotel is the only urban winery hotel in Sweden and probably in the world. With in-house winemaking in the lobby and a traditional wine estate in Tuscany this is unique hotel offering a stay or a visit focusing on the craftsmanship of winemaking.

Terreno is the Ruhne family estate in Tuscany. Here they have produced quality wines since 1988, with a focus on the traditional wines of the Chianti Classico district. In addition to wine, they also make olive oil and have several houses for rent on the property. The youngest of four daughters, Sofia Ruhne, is now managing the estate.

For further information, high resolution pictures and interviews please contact: sarah.djerf@thewineryhotel.se +46 (0) 0760241850