“The prices in Nordic countries for wine are eye-watering. In Iceland, the most expensive destination an average glass of white wine (an unimpressive pinot grigio) was $28 a glass,” bemoans our travelling wine writer RICHARD CALVER. 

Scandinavian countries are highly regulated especially when it comes to sales of alcohol of all kinds.

In my holiday travels in the Nordic region, I discovered that four of the five Nordic countries have a government retail monopoly on retail sales of alcoholic beverages – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

Only mainland Denmark, excluding the Danish territory of the Faroe Islands, relies on private retail sales of alcohol. 

The prices in Nordic countries for wine are eye-watering. I’m currently in Iceland, the most expensive destination. Here an average glass of white wine (an unimpressive pinot grigio) was $28 a glass.

I’ve been drinking small glasses of beer with my evening meal instead of wine. Even so, in Norway I paid more for a large pilsner than for a T-shirt I’d bought. 

The Intrepid guide in Norway said that the monopoly, the Vinmonopolet, was firmly grounded in public health concerns.

It works to reduce total consumption via pricing and other restrictions so as to reduce the harm associated with drinking.

Limiting the physical availability of alcoholic drinks is part of the system: the government-owned shops close on Sundays and holidays, and have strict operating hours. 

When the group I was with intended to join local celebrations for the midsummer solstice in Sweden the guide said on the day before the holiday that if we wanted to drink we should buy our supplies the day before and to “remember the government shop will be crowded”. It was packed.

The traditional drink for the midsummer festival is schnapps or nubbe. It’s generally consumed shot by shot and described as aquavit, the water of life. It is generally distilled from grain or potatoes and is high in alcohol. The one our guide shared was flavoured with fennel and was like licorice. 

Outside the Swedish town of Mora we watched as the locals sang, drank and erected a maypole in the ancient way: with manpower and wooden poles. We danced with them. For me, one shot was enough as the drink is liquid fire.

Despite the light-hearted celebrations, the Scandies take drinking seriously. The following is a story I was told. 

A Swede and a Finn are sitting together at a rustic table deep in the forest. No one is around for miles and there is no small talk just silence and a bottle of acquavit on the table.

The two drink in silence a shot at a time until the bottle is three quarters empty. At that point the Swede picks up his glass and says “skal” or cheers to his companion. 

The Finn shakes his head: “Are we going to talk or drink?”

That story also fits with the image of the Finns explained to me by a Norwegian having a dig: ” You will see that Finnish people are like Norwegian people, only we are not drunk.” 

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