Finland · Unspecified

Hartwall

Finnish beverage company founded 1836; Finland's largest wine importer and, since 2025, owner of the Turku plant producing Caprice, Marinella, Minttu, and Nordic berry wines.

The producer

Hartwall has operated in Helsinki since 1836, growing from a soft drinks manufacturer into Finland's largest wine importer. The company is owned by Danish group Royal Unibrew, which acquired it in 2013. In February 2025 Hartwall bought Pernod Ricard's full portfolio of Nordic local brands, including Minttu, Lapponia, the Caprice and Marinella ranges, Finnish berry and fruit wines, and multiple glögi labels, along with the Turku production facilities behind them. The Systembolaget range covers dry vermouth (Marezzo), sweet flavoured wines (Caprice Kir, Solbacka Körsbärsvin), and the Marinella aperitif family.

Known for

Finnish flavoured wines, aperitifs, and vermouth

Notable facts

The story

Built for the Olympics

In 1952, Helsinki was hosting the Summer Olympics and venues needed to serve large crowds quickly. The Finnish government asked Hartwall to create a ready-to-pour cocktail that bar staff could handle at volume. Hartwall produced the Gin Long Drink: Finnish gin, water, and grapefruit juice in a single can, designed to replace the individual mixing of drinks. The product was meant to last two weeks. It outlasted the Games, stayed in production, and became the most heavily consumed mixed drink in Finland. In 1995, when Hartwall opened the recipe to other manufacturers, it began selling its version as Hartwall Original Long Drink to mark the original.

From the atlas

Hartwall

Finland's largest wine importer and, since 2025, owner of a Turku production facility making flavoured wines, liqueurs, and aperitifs that have been on Nordic shelves for decades.

At A Glance

CountryFinland
CityHelsinki
Founded1836
OwnershipRoyal Unibrew (Danish), since 2013
PortfolioFlavoured wines, vermouth, aperitifs, liqueurs
Signature productHartwall Original Long Drink

The Producer

Hartwall has been making beverages in Helsinki since 1836. For most of that history the company was a manufacturer of soft drinks, beer, cider, and the gin-grapefruit Long Drink that became Finland's most consumed mixed drink. The wine and aperitif portfolio arrived later, built through import contracts and, from 2025, through ownership of the production facilities in Turku that previously belonged to Pernod Ricard.

The Turku acquisition brought Minttu, Lapponia, a selection of berry and fruit wines, a range of glögi brands, and the Marinella and Caprice lines under Hartwall's ownership. Before 2025, Hartwall's role in these categories was as importer and distributor. Now it holds both the brands and the plant.

Royal Unibrew, the Danish group that bought Hartwall in 2013, owns the company today.

Place

Hartwall operates from Helsinki, Finland's capital, with production now split between the main Helsinki facilities and the Turku plant inherited from Pernod Ricard. Finland has no wine-growing tradition and no appellation system for grape wines. The country's licensed beverage market, run through a state retail monopoly, shapes what producers bring to Finnish shelves: flavoured wines, fruit wines, vermouths, and aperitifs fill a category that in other Northern European markets would be occupied by regional wines. Hartwall holds Finland's largest wine import operation, distributing both its own brands and wines sourced from outside Finland.

Story

Hartwall's first century was built on carbonated water and soft drinks. The company's decisive move into alcoholic beverages came in 1952, when the Finnish government asked Hartwall to create a ready-to-drink gin cocktail for the Helsinki Summer Olympics. The resulting Gin Long Drink mixed Finnish gin, water, and grapefruit juice in a single can, designed so bar staff at Olympic venues could serve large crowds quickly without mixing individual drinks. The product outlasted the Games. Demand continued, and Hartwall kept producing it.

For decades the Long Drink remained Hartwall's signature alcoholic product. The wine and aperitif side grew through import agreements rather than manufacturing. That changed in February 2025, when Hartwall acquired Pernod Ricard's full portfolio of Nordic local brands and the Turku production assets behind them. The deal added Minttu, Lapponia, the Caprice and Marinella ranges, Finnish berry and fruit wines, and several glögi labels. Hartwall moved from importer to manufacturer across these categories in a single transaction.

Vineyards And Cellar

Hartwall holds no vineyards and grows no grapes. The Turku facility, acquired in 2025, handles production of the flavoured wines, liqueurs, and aperitifs in the portfolio. Pre-acquisition, these products were made at the same Turku site under Pernod Ricard ownership, which had itself acquired the brands from Vin & Sprit in 2008. The production methods and sourcing for individual products in the range are not publicly detailed. Hartwall also imports still and sparkling wines from outside Finland for distribution under its importer role.

Wines

The range at Systembolaget centres on three categories: vermouth, flavoured wines, and aperitifs. Marezzo Extra Dry is a dry vermouth with a spicy, herb-driven character built on wormwood, orange peel, and almond paste, with low residual sweetness. Caprice Kir is a berry-forward flavoured wine with fresh blackcurrant and lingonberry alongside vanilla, carrying notable sweetness. Solbacka Körsbärsvin is a cherry fruit wine, very sweet and fresh, with a pronounced marzipan and vanilla character alongside the cherry. The Marinella range adds further aperitif and fruit-aperitif options. These are products designed for light, cold service rather than for ageing or food pairing in the classic wine-table sense.

In The Glass

Marezzo Extra Dry opens with dried herbs and a light bitterness from wormwood, followed by orange peel and a hint of almond paste. The palate is dry with a spiced, slightly astringent finish. Caprice Kir is the opposite register: berry-saturated on the nose, with blackcurrant and lingonberry leading, vanilla adding a soft backdrop, and sweetness throughout from entry to finish. The texture is light and fresh. Solbacka Körsbärsvin runs richer: very sweet, with marzipan and vanilla framing a concentrated cherry core. The finish is round and sugary with good fruit freshness keeping the sweetness from feeling heavy.

A Bottle To Understand It

Caprice Kir is the bottle that shows what this range is built around. It is a flavoured wine, berry-forward and sweet, with blackcurrant and lingonberry as the main fruit notes and vanilla giving the mid-palate its soft character. The sweetness is prominent and the finish is fresh rather than cloying. Compared to Solbacka Körsbärsvin, which is heavier with cherry and marzipan, Caprice Kir reads lighter and more obviously fruit-driven, which is where the range's broadest appeal sits. Compared to Marezzo, it requires no cocktail context.

Anecdote

In 1952, Finland was preparing to host the Summer Olympics in Helsinki and facing a practical problem: venues had bars but not enough trained staff to mix individual cocktails for the expected crowds. The Finnish government turned to Hartwall with a brief to create something that could be poured fast. Hartwall produced the Gin Long Drink, a ready-to-serve mixture of Finnish gin, water, and grapefruit juice in a single can. The product was designed as a temporary solution for a two-week event. The Olympics ended, but Finns kept buying the Long Drink. Hartwall continued production, and the drink eventually became the most heavily consumed mixed drink product in Finland. In 1995, when Hartwall opened production to other manufacturers, it began marketing its version as Hartwall Original Long Drink to distinguish the founding recipe from later imitators.

Final Word

Hartwall is a Finnish beverage manufacturer founded in 1836, Finland's largest wine importer, and from 2025 the owner of the Turku facilities producing Minttu, Lapponia, Caprice, Marinella, and a range of berry and fruit wines inherited from Pernod Ricard.

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