It is well known that the bear is the national animal of Finland. A lesser known fact is that the Finnish bear has developed a taste for good wine and is thirsty for more. 

Thirsty Bear is a Helsinki-based wine agency that focusses on the new world with a few special exceptions. We love independent, family owned vineyards and organically farmed grapes. Our goal is to bring more wine with character made by passionate winemakers to the people of Finland.

 
 

PRODUCERS

 

WINE SELECTION

 

Thirsty Bear Selection

This selection is only available in Alko stores. The focus is on great value for money premium wine from small to medium sized producers. There is also fine and rare wine with very limited availability.

This wine can be found in select Alko stores and can also be ordered from Alko’s online webshop.

 
 
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NEWS & ADVENTURES

Autumn wine is here! Excited to introduce 4 new vineyards to you this month. 🍁🍷🔥 👇🏼 House of Arras from Tasmania is Australia’s top sparkling wine producer and winemaker Ed Carr is one of the most awarded sparkling winemakers in the world.
Back from summer holidays with some brand new red wine for you!🍷🙏🏼 - New to the portfolio are Spring Seed and Geoff Hardy both bringing beautiful expressions of McLaren Vale Shiraz. There are also new releases from Elephant Hill and Escarpment for
Happy Friday! New releases from Leeuwin Estate and DuMOL are here. 🍷🔥 - This release includes the iconic Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay as well as the Prelude Chardonnay and Cabernet for the first time in Finland. - Very happy to also release the ex
Finally some Champagne! Very happy to welcome Prestige des Sacres to the portfolio. 🍾🥂 🍾 Thirsty Bear is a new world wine agency with a few special exceptions. When I tasted Prestige des Sacres, I thought that the price to quality ratio was excel
IHANA Shiraz 2022 is now available in Finland. Have you tried it yet? 🍷🔥 🐻 In December we launched IHANA Shiraz with winemaker Corrina Wright of Oliver’s Taranga and Valtteri Bottas during a dinner at Savoy. 🐻 The wine arrived in Finland in
Another iconic Australian producer has arrived in Alko. Welcome to Finland Tyrrell’s! 🙌🏼🍷❤️ 🍷 The vineyard was planted by English immigrant Edward Tyrrell in 1858. As well as making Australia’s most awarded white wine (Vat 1 Sé
Today I officially became the California Capstone Educator for Finland! 🇺🇸🍷🙏🏼 - Capstone California is a course by the California Wine Institute dedicated to Californian wines. - The Level 1 & 2 courses are now available in Finland. Both cou
Here are 10 new Californian wines for you to enjoy this Christmas! 🍷🎅🏼🐻❤️ 🍾 You may have noticed that me and Kyle have been working hard this year to bring you more great wine from top Californian producers. 🍾 Here are our 10 most recent editio
On Saturday we launch IHANA in Finland at a special dinner at Savoy! 🏎️🔥🍷 - IHANA Shiraz 2022 is an collaboration between F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and Corrina Wright from Oliver’s Taranga in McLaren Vale, South Australia. - There are still
Just back from an amazing few weeks learning about Californian wine. 🇺🇸🍷 - For me there is no better way to learn about wine regions than to go and visit them, to see them yourself, to taste the grapes, meet the winemakers, see the wineries and to
Mornington is back with new releases from Ten Minutes by Tractor… 🍷🔥 👉🏼 During the short but sweet Finnish summer, we took advantage of the hot weather and did a series of tastings in the park outside the office. 👉🏼 Martin and Karen Sped
The oldest sauna in Central Finland was glorious last weekend. 🍂🔥🙏🏼 . . . . . #sauna #finland #nature #beauty #ritual #forest #view #old #historic #legendary #finnish #saunatime #saunalife #healthy #calming #golden #autumn #colours #kiitos #ihana
 
 

STORY & SERVICES

Founder Tom Murray Willis discovered his passion after inheriting his grandmother's dessert wine collection. Ever since then he has been intrigued by the grape varieties and wine regions of the world. Originally from London, Tom moved to Helsinki in 2015 after spending some time in Australia. Upon arrival he was disappointed to find that none of his favourite Australian wines were available. It wasn't long before he decided to open a wine agency to bring the wine he loves to the people of Finland.

At Thirsty Bear we believe in wine with character that has a story and an interesting history. Our clients are mostly family owned wineries in the new world, mainly Australia and New Zealand but the portfolio is expanding. Working with a natural product has given us a deep respect for the environment so we prioritise organic producers and those who share our values.

ALKO & HORECA

We mainly supply Finnish state owned monopoly Alko. Our wine is also available for HORECA clients through our partner importer Viinitie.

WINE TASTINGS

We offer fun and educational tastings for private and corporate clients that are tailor made to suit your needs, whether you are beginners or wine enthusiasts.

BULEVARDI VIINIKLUBI

Would you like to hear about our new wines first and have an opportunity to try them before they go on sale? Join the Bulevardi Viiniklubi mailing list!

 
 

CONTACT

If you have any questions about any of our services or to find out more about Thirsty Bear, please get in touch with our founder Tom Murray Willis. He would love to hear from you and is always happy to help.

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.