Holidays in Finland: Kuopio Wine Festival

Holiday in Finland: it is not only balanced austere beauty of lakes, fishing and spa. So, the resort of Kuopio in Eastern Finland invites everybody on July 1, 2011 for the opening of the International Kuopio Wine Festival, which begins on the first of July and lasts for eight days. Especially for this event in the Passenger harbor will be built the Wine Village, which can enter only persons over 18 years. It seems strange that festival of wine is held in the country, where the grapes do not grow at all. However, the Finns are not bothered with it. Each year they select a country or a region, which wines will be presented at their celebration. Over the 15 years of the festival in the Wine Village were presented Austria, Hungary, Italy, California, Spain, Greece, South Africa, France and Chile. This time Kuopio Wine Festival will offer its guests wine from Brazil. All wines will be delivered for the wine festival directly from this sunny country, and none of them is available even in specialized Finnish shops.

In addition to numerous wine tastings, wine fairs and sommelier master classes, at the festival will be presented other activities. During the holiday in the Wine Village will perform dance and musical groups from Brazil, and on the big stage set in the center of the village in the evenings visitors can enjoy spectacular bright Caipirinha show. In addition to the Brazilian bands in the festival will take part Finnish artists: Happoradio, Reckless Love, Paula Koivuniemi, Anna Puu and Kuopio City Symphony Orchestra and Marco Hietala.

Despite the fact that Finland is a northern country, where grapes cannot grow, it has its own wine-making traditions. But wine here is made mostly of blackberry, sometimes using blueberries, birch syrup and some other northern products. The most famous distillery - Alahovi estate, located on the island of Vaajasalo can be reached from Kuopio within half an hour by steamer. There visitors will be shown features of north winemaking and will try local products.