Toasting to Change: Lithuania’s Wine Industry gains ground

In 2021, Lithuania was added to the list of cool climate viticulture countries in Europe and earned its first mention in the “Oxford Companion to Wine” in 2023. The 2024 LSA Lithuanian Wine and Mead Championship highlighted the rapid growth of the local wine industry.

Agnė Dovydaitytė,

19.06.2024

The medals were awarded during the opening ceremony of the largest wine exhibition in the Baltics, Vyno Dienos, which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, this May.

Facts, Statistics, and what hides in the shadows

According to the Lithuanian Association of Vine Growers, the most widely planted grape varieties in the country are: Solaris (21 percent), Souvignier Gris (10 percent), and Marquette (8 percent). However, classic varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling are also cultivated by some growers. The dominant varieties among the championship wines were: Solaris, Regent, Adalmiina, Varduva, St. Pepin, Johanniter, and Monika.

Lithuanian wineyard.

In the championship, Lithuanian white wines stood out for their quality earning significant amount of silver medals. Whilst the sole gold was awarded to the traditional style sweet mead. In total, around 170 local wines, meads, and ciders were blindly tasted by industry professionals in the local championship this year. They were produced by 56 different winemakers, only 10 of whom are licensed and able to sell their wines to the public. Lithuania has a total of 16 licensed winemakers. In neighbouring Latvia, this number is tenfold.

“The licensing statistics are bleak in Lithuania. Tens of thousands of bottles of wine are made each year in Lithuania and probably sold under the counter. However, making their business official and getting the licence is still neither easy nor does it open many doors for small winemakers. With strict anti-alcohol laws and a ban on any kind of promotion, many good winemakers see no point in licensing products that they cannot advertise or risk facing fines,” comments Arūnas Starkus, one of the organisers of the Lithuanian Wine and Mead Championship and Vyno Dienos exhibition.

Ernestas Aušvicas, not yet licenced Lithuanian winemaker who wins medals every year.

A Ray of Hope in Government Legislation

However, very recently, the tables started to turn. In May, the Lithuanian parliament voted in favour of implementing a few alcohol policy changes that give hope to the local industry. From now on, winemakers will be able to sell wine (not just beer) at larger festivals, and objective information about the geography, culture, and history of wine regions will not be considered alcohol promotion.

Since the Lithuanian wine industry has caught the eye of the EU, and positive shifts have been recorded in the legislation, the local government has started paying more attention to local winemakers which will hopefully encourage more winemakers to legitimize their businesses.

The shift in the conversation has already begun. For the first time in the 19-year history of the Vyno Dienos wine exhibition, the Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture attended the event and congratulated local winemakers during the opening ceremony speech. “Shaking hands with the Minister while receiving a diploma for your wine was a big deal for many participants. Until recently, they were looked down upon. Now, they can be in the news, receive financial support, explore tourism opportunities, and more. The European recognition has created a new official field of agriculture in Lithuania and opened doors to EU funds for local farmers. They can no longer be ignored”, commented Arūnas Starkus.

Lithuanian winemakers awarded during the 2024 Liyhuanian Wine and Mead Championship.

Can Lithuania go as far as having the official National Wine Day

To make the conversation even more public, the Vyno Dienos exhibition organisers have also initiated a public vote for the National Wine Day. Thousands of visitors voted that December 7th, commemorating the EU recognition of Lithuania as a grape-growing country, was a perfect occasion to mark each year.

However, for this day to become official, the Parliament must also vote. Whether the Parliament will vote for or against the celebration of local winemakers remains to be seen in the upcoming months, but the industry is already celebrating. "The mere fact that there will be such a vote shows that we are getting slightly closer to Western culture, where winemaking is a significant part of the culture, and winemakers are seen as both artists and farmers who deserve proper attention and support, rather than restrictions from the government," commented Arūnas Starkus.