Sparkling wine brand Elysée, produced in Turku for decades, is making a comeback.
Finns have discovered the 8% sparkling wine in grocery stores. Adobe Stock / AOP
Those born in the 1970s and earlier will certainly recognize this sparkling wine classic. After all, it was still the best-selling sparkling wine in Finland in the 1990s.
Elysée, made from white currants in Turku since 1953, was the first Finnish sparkling wine to enter Alko, says Hartwall’s press release. As recently as 1990, domestic sparkling wines accounted for up to 90 percent of Finnish sparkling wine sales. Since then, international brands have taken up space.
The fact that the event arena in Turku was also known by the name of the favorite drink until the beginning of the 2000s also says something about the importance of the Elysée.
The production of Elysée continued until 2022. At the beginning of 2025, Hartwall bought its Finnish brands and their production in Turku from the French alcohol company Pernod Ricard.
Now the Elysée is experiencing a new arrival in a new form. Like its predecessor, the renewed Elysée is produced in Turku. It is Hartwall’s director of communications and content Titta Jaakkolan revised according to the current taste preferences of Finns.
– There were once several different versions of Elysée available and we wanted to renew the drink for the 2020s in an even drier, lighter and fresher direction, Jaakkola tells Iltalehte.
Elysée was once known for its sweetness, but Finns’ taste preferences have changed to an even drier and fresher direction. The raw material of the new Elysée is grapes instead of white currants.
– We also explored the possibility of using white currants, but grapes were the best fit for this flavor profile. In addition to the taste, it was also influenced by the fact that the availability of white currants is very limited, Jaakkola explains to Iltalehte.
Do Elysée fans still recognize it as the same drink?
– I believe that those who once enjoyed Elysée will also like this fresher version. Probably those generations who lived through the Elysée’s so-called golden age remember it well. These could be at least those born in the 1970s and before, says Jaakkola.
Why did you want to bring Elysée back to stores?
– Elysée has a strong foothold in Finnish drinking culture and we at Hartwall value local drinks. When production at the Turku factory was transferred to Hartwall, it was quickly clear that we wanted to bring this classic back, Jaakkola tells Iltalehte.
The renewed 8 percent version of Elysée will be sold in grocery stores.