Arto Koskelo ja Ilkka Sirén. Photo Matti Tanskanen
ViiniTV’s ILKKA SIRÉN and ARTO KOSKELO want to show people that “you can rock’n'roll your wine a bit”. These guys use their vlog to turn their wine expertise into popular culture, and emphasise that you can have fun with wines.
An unedited online video clip has a jumpy image and a buzzing sound; the microphone swings in and out of the picture, and the language is somewhat PG-rated. The guests include glamour models, porn stars and musicians. The topic of the conversation? Wines. What’s wrong here?
Since it’s a ViiniTV (Wine TV) episode, there’s nothing wrong. The viewer is, almost as a byproduct, exposed to wine information.
“When it comes to wine, seriousness has been a prerequisite of credibility,” notes Arto Koskelo, one of the two regular faces of the online vlog started in October 2009. “We’re doing things differently, and we’re not afraid to admit we don’t know everything. Our work is dictated by passion, not arid expertise. We want to shake up the prevailing wine media and bring wine to the realm of popular culture as well.”
“We also want to narrow the gap between wine producers and consumers,” continues Ilkka Sirén. “Finns are under the impression that wine should be sipped in a wine cellar wearing silk gloves, when actually the producers walk around their vineyards in tattered denim shorts smoking a joint. To them, wine is a lifestyle, and they want to see people having fun when drinking wine.”
“So far, we’ve for example interviewed porn stars and gotten wine tattoos,” describe Sirén and Koskelo. “The people we want to invite as ViiniTV guests are passionate about doing their own thing with the right groove. They don’t have to be wine people, specifically, but rather people we admire. We also love meshing the music scene with the wine scene. Young people don’t necessarily want to listen to wine connoisseurs or gurus. What they want are useful tips from wine lovers.”
Berry wine super food
About a decade ago, a restaurant business revolution started to sweep over Finland, inspiring young chefs into starting their own restaurants. After that, beer became the trend, bringing local beer labels and small breweries into the public eye. Currently, the buzz is about clean and local food, and Sirén and Koskelo predict that the next trend is wine.
“The Finnish wine scene is a good one, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. When you consider Finland’s location and its lack of traditional wine culture, we have a lot of wine experts, and plenty of new ones join them all the time,” ponders Sirén. “The Finnish mindset is that if you’re going to specialize, you might as well specialize big time.”
Finland has two Masters of Wine i.e. graduates of the Institute of Masters of Wine – the same number as the more traditional wine countries, Spain and Austria. Internationally, there are only 280 people who have passed the rigorous examination.
As far as specialties go, the Finnish berry wines have, according to Sirén and Koskelo, significantly improved in quality. They both view berry wines as having export potential. “In southern areas, berry wines could be seen as super foods with health benefits. If I travel abroad to meet people, I often like to bring them a bottle of Finnish berry wine, which to them is an interesting curiosity,” explains Sirén.
Ilkka Sirén ja Arto Koskelo. Photo Matti Tanskanen
Learning on vineyards
Although Sirén and Koskelo are very laid back in their output, they both have a strong wine background. Sirén, now 23, lived in Brazil for a year six years ago, toured the vineyards of Southern Brazil, and took part in a harvesting festival. After returning to Finland, the young wine enthusiast read everything about wine he could get his hands on, majored in Biology of Plant Production at the University of Helsinki, and left midway through his studies to work at vineyards in Spain, Portugal and South Africa. Working at small quality vineyards, he learned the wine making process from start to finish.
Koskelo, on the other hand, studied sociology at the university, read volumes upon volumes about the Finnish society, and started to understand why we are the way we are. The image of the nation was shaped by cultural blockages and traumas, and it was not flattering. “I am a hard-boiled hedonist and a fan of the Finnish language, and wanted to combine the two.”
In addition to ViiniTV, the 30-year-old Koskelo writes his personal Viinipiru (Wine devil) blog and works as a freelance journalist. His main topic is – not shockingly – wine.
The new wine users
Research shows their instincts are correct. For the younger generation, work is less significant than it was to their parents. “People want to put effort into enjoying their leisure time, and knowledge enhances that enjoyment,” remarks Koskelo
“Nowadays, it’s more and more common for young dudes to buy a few bottles of wine, invite friends over, cook dinner and get new experiences through these activities,” continues Sirén. “Our goal is to get even a few dedicated beer drinkers to experiment with wines. It’s a colossal misunderstanding that beer and wine would exclude each other.”
“Wine is meant to accompany food, not to be drunk on its own – although there are good wines for that purpose as well. If possible, though, slap some food on the side, and it’s instantly much more fun.” †
Text Heini Lehtinen Photos Matti Tanskanen
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