Sweden - a land of sin. And protection against sinning.

Sweden is a much misunderstood wine market. But one where you can sell a lot. If you're a wine producer, how and where do you begin?

There are a lot of myths about Sweden. The most persistent comes from a US author and journalist called Joe David Brown. In 1955 Brown wrote an article for Time Magazine called “Sin & Sweden”. It was the starting point for the idea that Sweden is a country of sexually-liberated beautiful people who embodied “the permissive society”.

I live here. And I have to tell you it’s a disappointment on that score.

If anything, it’s a country that is determined to stop you sinning. Not least when it comes to booze. And it has bizarre consequences.

The only place you can buy a bottle of wine to take home is the nationalised chain of monopoly alcohol stores, Systembolaget.

The stores feel different to a wine merchant in most countries. They’re closed more often. And not open in the evenings or on Sunday. The staff are reticent about giving you advice. There are no deals or offers. Ever.

Why?

Well as their website proudly tells you

Our mission – different for a reason… we have a mission to protect more people from being harmed by alcohol

Celebrity wines, sommeliers, and natty bangers

Today in the Wine Marketing Masterclass, paid subscribers will discover how the Swedish wine market is structured. Who some of the key personalities are in the market. And how to go about selling there.

But it’s also worth seeing how the structure of the market has strange consequences. Like why a country with so many committed and engaged wine lovers is so filled with Celebrity wine brands. One even made by someone who tried to kill his mother. Or why such a small country produces so many award-winning sommeliers (when the shops are filled with celebrity wine brands). Or why - in spite of all this - you can get a glass of the most esoteric natural wine, from feted producers, in wine bars across the country.

The answer lies in the structure of the system…