Andreas Sundgren, Brännland Iscider: "I need a list to have a nice balance between the odd and the reliable"

On June 24, Star Wine List will celebrate the world's best wine lists and the teams behind them. The category Best By the Glass List is presented by Brännland Iscider for the first time.

(Partner story with Brännland Iscider)

"Star Wine List is emerging as one of the most visible and credible platforms around. The fact that whole lists are judged makes these awards in many ways a much better tool for the consumer to understand what a specific restaurant is doing well. It will also say something about the quality in general and about the kitchen," says Andreas Sundgren, founder of Brännland Iscider.

Brännland Iscider, located in the village of Vännäsby just outside Umeå in northern Sweden, was founded in 2010 with the sole vision of creating the world’s best sweet wine. With a unique Swedish terroir and wines made of only two raw materials; Swedish apples and subarctic cold, Brännland Iscider produces an ice cider that today is regarded as one of the finest in the world.

In just over 10 years of existence Brännland Iscider has gone from a trial production of 500 bottles to 65.000 bottles yearly and a presence on the wine lists of some of the world’s greatest restaurants where Brännland Iscider can be found alongside legends like Chateau d’Yquem in Sauternes and Egon Müller in Mosel.

You are presenting the Best By the Glass List category – what is your opinion about the competing wine lists?
"They’re all great. It’s hard to discern between lists now in the sense that the quality has increased so dramatically in the last decade or so."

What do you hope that your engagement in the award will bring?
"Visibility, to tie new friends and partners to Brännland Iscider the world over. This is a unique opportunity for us."

What defines a great wine list in your opinion?
"For me personally I need a list to have a nice balance between the odd and the reliable. The best lists can handle both celebration and casual dining but the emphasis for me needs to be on casual because that is the way I like to dine out. That balance needs to be seen both on the price axis as well as the known vs unknown producers or regions axis."

What defines a great by-the-glass list in your opinion?
"See above. Perhaps even more casual dining emphasis than a bottle list. I want to be able to treat myself to one great glass of wine on a Tuesday in a higher price range but I also want to be able to drink two of something very reliable with the one entrée I’ve just ordered while sitting at the bar reading a book. I also enjoy lists that have bottles or glasses that might, as a result of odd region or grape, be slightly underpriced and therefore feels like you’ve stumbled on a little treasure."

What is happening for Brännland in the upcoming future?
"There are many things in the works but most importantly, and the most challenging, the shift in our production in the coming decade to fruit grown in the most northern apple orchards in the world. In effect to go from being a good, competent negociant to becoming a much more terroir-driven winemaker. We have a very long perspective and we’re acting accordingly striving to slowly build value on several parallel lines. At present though we are bottling the 2023 full-on, our largest vintage, in terms of volume, to date. The 2023 is light, almost ethereal. I am very much looking forward to presenting it."

Anything you want to add?
"Looking forward to the party."