🗺️ Latvian wine

Latvian wine means the wine and winemaking of Latvia, a country on the east side of the Baltic Sea. The climate is cool and damp with frosty winters, so growing grapes is not easy. Viticulture in the country is small and is carried out mostly by amateurs and small farms.

Most vineyards lie in the western area of Kurzeme, in the valley of the Abava river. Frost-hardy varieties bred for northern places are grown here. One of them is called Zilga. Their wines are light and tart, with a bright berry taste.

In Latvia, wines from berries, apples and other fruit are traditionally much more popular. They are made at home and in small businesses. Latvian wine belongs to the wines of Europe but holds a modest place there. It is an interesting example of winemaking in the far north, where the vine lives at the limit of its abilities. Volumes are small, so this wine rarely leaves the country.