Orange wine, pet peeves, and the relaxed vibe taking over Helsinki – with Heidi Mäkinen MW

By Rachel Fellows

Published 26-June-2025

Interview / Finland

Master of Wine Heidi Mäkinen has judged many a Star Wine List of the Year competition since joining our international jury panel in 2022 and, in 2023, she became our Finland Ambassador too. As she updates our guide to her home country, we ask her a few questions about how the Finnish wine scene looks today.

Helsinki-based sommelier Heidi Mäkinen has just added six new Red Stars to our guide to the best wine spots in Finland. Whilst the additions can all be found in the capital, Heidi’s full list of recommendations stretches to Tampere and Jyväskylä, and she has updated many of her existing suggestions – one thing we know, is that venues (and wine lists) rarely stand still.

A Portfolio Manager and Partner at importing company Viinitie Oy, Heidi also travels extensively teaching WSET courses of all levels and mentoring Master of Wine students across Europe. She is a seasoned Star Wine List of the Year judge, who recently represented her respective jury panels for our Austrian and International Final events during a weekend of wine list celebrations in Vienna.

She tells us about summer in the city, the orange wines gradually getting their own sections on wine lists, and how to impress (or not!) a Master of Wine during service.

Take a look at her Red Star recommendations across Finland.

What are you looking for in a Red Star venue?

“Somewhat the same as what I look for when judging wine lists for Star Wine List of the Year – wine lists that are exciting. But most of all, wine lists that show a lot of effort and work have gone into creating them, which suit the concept, and which have well-chosen and diverse wines to choose from.”

Tell us, do you have any pet hates on wine lists or in service?

“I really dislike wine lists without vintages and, although it’s a bit petty, I like the bottles to be opened underneath the lower lip and not put into ice buckets upside down when empty!”

What is summer like in Helsinki?

“This year, very rainy, it seems! Many of our restaurants have their staff taking summer holidays during July as many Finns also like to escape to their summer cottages, so there are fewer venues open. However, there usually are some open-air terraces popping up for the summer season and, when the weather is good, Helsinki is a lovely city to walk around and pop in for a glass of wine here and there.”

Do you have any top tips for visitors to the city?

“Star Wine List suggestions of course! Also, just walking around by the seashore can be lovely, or taking the ferry to some of the close-by islands of which some also have nice restaurants and cafés.”

How would you describe the wine scene in Helsinki right now?

“Vibrant, constantly developing and rather international.”

How does that compare to the rest of the country?

“Wine consumption and culture is concentrated in the bigger cities and most definitely in Helsinki. Although there are some great individual restaurants in other parts of our country too, they are mostly concentrated in the biggest cities of Turku, Tampere and Helsinki.”

Have you noticed any trends emerging across wine lists?

“There are a few more cellar lists available and also certain categories such as orange/skin contact wines have become their own sections in some places. Autochthonous varieties or varieties closely linked to their specific origins have started to be seen more, encouraging sommeliers to tell unique stories to their guests.”

Do you have any particular favourites amongst your selection of venues?

“I have my regular spots that I tend to visit more often than others, but I also like to visit the new places opening up to celebrate all hospitality professionals creating a better city culture in Helsinki. I wish I had more time to do so!”

Whereabouts do you live and hang out?

“I live just around a 15-minute bike ride from the city centre and basically walk or cycle everywhere, so visiting a restaurant in any part of the city is not an issue for me. We also have great public transport in Helsinki in case I'm feeling a bit lazy.”

What's most exciting about wine and hospitality in Helsinki at the moment?

“I love a relaxed atmosphere and, lately there have been lots of small wine bars and bistro-style places opening up, where I really feel like home. Although I hugely appreciate the attention paid to the details in fine-dining restaurants, I’m more for casual restaurants these days – and home dinners!”

What would you like to see more of, or change?

“I would love to see places adding also exciting wines outside of Europe onto their wine selections as most of our lists tend to be very Eurocentric. Gradually, more and more of these wines are available in our market so I’m hoping to see the wine lists getting a bit more international in the future.”

Explore Heidi’s guide to the best wine spots in Finland.