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State alcohol retailer in Norway

Vinmonopolet , symbolized by Ⓥ and colloquially shortened to Polet, is a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4.75% in Norway. As the arm of the Norwegian government policy to limit the citizens' consumption of alcohol, primarily by means of high cost and limited access, the primary goal of Vinmonopolet is to responsibly perform the distribution of alcoholic goods while limiting the motive of private economic profit from the alcohol industry. Equally significant is the social responsibility of Vinmonopolet, to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors and visibly inebriated customers. Outlets, located across the country from cities to smaller communities, typically close business earlier than other shops, typically weekdays at 6 pm and Saturdays at 4 pm. In 2020 Vinmonopolet sold of beverages.

The institution was founded in 1922 as a government owned company as the result of trade negotiations with wine exporters, mainly in France. The ban on alcohol was lifted, and sale was allowed through outlets run by Vinmonopolet. Since 1939 the state, initially through the Norwegian Ministry of Finance and later the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, has been the sole owner, buying out the private shareholders while remaining a stock company. The company's import and production activities ceased in 1996 when the EFTA ruled that the monopoly was in violation of the EEA agreement. The company divided into the created company entity Arcus which continued all production, import and distribution activity of spirits, leaving Vinmonopolet as a sole retail monopoly. In 1999 the format of the outlets was restructured, making nearly all stores self service from the previous format of sales over the counter, and internet sales began in 2002.

Initially, two Vinmonopolet outlets were launched in 2005–06 as "special stores" category A, located in Oslo (Briskeby, relocated to Vika in March 2010) and Bergen (Valkendorfsgaten), and a branch of smaller category B stores in were added during 2012–13 in Oslo west, Sandnes, Hamar, Sandefjord and Trondheim. In February 2014 the Bergen Valkendorfsgaten store was adjusted to category B on a par with the other five limited special stores, leaving Oslo Vika the sole category A special store, and the sale of fine wine and beer in Sandnes was divided between two outlets, Sentrum and Kvadrat. In January 2015 the flagship specialty store moved its location from Vika to Aker Brygge. The special stores arrange major launches of new products on six occasions annually, to supplement a special selection (of approximately 750 products at category A level) that is not available in the ordinary product list, of wines, fortified wines or beers, described to be "either innovative, of limited availability or of an exceptionally high quality". Each launch carries a theme, and while there may be changes from year to year, regular fixtures are the launch of wines from Bordeaux in December, wines from Burgundy in February, wines from Germany in April, Champagne and Chablis in May, and beer and U. S. wines in October. Smaller groups of products that fall outside the launch themes may appear at any other time during the year. As with all wine purchases in the normal outlets, Vinmonopolet guarantees the provenance of these uncommon wines, and the customer retains the regular right to return faulty wine for the money back within five years of purchase. Though the available quantities of the special release wines can be very limited, some wines so sparse they entail minimal purchasing quotas in order to reach a wider public, prices may be as low as ⅓ or ¼ of world market value. As a result of considerable enthusiasm surrounding these product launches, customer behaviour has come under criticism for sinking to an uncivilised level. Vinmonopolet is not established on Svalbard. Instead the government can license private alcohol shops, of which there is only one, "Nordpolet" in Longyearbyen. In addition mining companies can sell alcohol to employees. There are monthly sales quotas on Svalbard. Under Norwegian law, it was illegal to sell alcohol by auction, until a resolution by Stortinget changed this law in April 2011, effective from 1 January 2012. While Vinmonopolet is to draw no profit from these activities, the process of selecting a collaborating auction house resulted in the tender eventually awarded to the auction house Blomqvist in Oslo, with the first wine auction of Norway held on 25 November 2013, and simultaneously an expanded Internet auction was arranged due to the unexpected scale of interest.

In a 2008 survey by Norsk Kundebarometer, customers of the monopoly were 81.5% satisfied with the company, ranking it 4th in Norway, a figure that rose to 88% in 2009. Surveys from the mid 1990s indicated a majority of the Norwegian population were in support of dissolving the monopoly arrangement, and allowing for the sale of wine by the private sector. Economists have praised Vinmonopolet for being a well working monopoly that offers good customer service. Robert Lie, then sommelier of Bagatelle, has stated, "I am among the supporters. In recent years Vinmonopolet has had great impact on the wine interest of the average Norwegian. To my knowledge there are no wine stores in the world with an equal selection. There are also fairly good prices for more expensive wines. For highly coveted wines one must pay much more in London." whose Italian wine selection then totalled 14 labels including reds, whites and sparkling. By 2010 the category had risen past 2,000 labels, leading co founder Ola Dybvik to declare, "we are living in paradise", continuing in context that the Norwegian population is comparable to a New York suburb: "in terms of selection, the store has moved into the definitive world elite". The institution has not stayed clear of problems. In one instance in 2001, the published price list offered Château Latour at the incredibly priced NOK 555, where an estimate would normally be approximately NOK 2,600, causing the quickest three customers to order to buy up the entire inventory, with the intent to make a fast and considerable profit. The explanation was that the more modestly priced Château Latour à Pomerol had its name listing edited down for brevity. In 2010 Vinmonopolet offered more than 12,000 products, next to 2009 figures from comparative retailers such as Systembolaget which offered ca. 9,000 products, Alko of Finland with ca. 3,000 products available, or British Waitrose with ca. 1,500 products available. By the end of 2016, the range of products had reached near 17,000 items.

Golden Power was a Norwegian produced sparkling fruit wine (not to be confused with an energy drink of the same name), made of 70% rhubarb, 20% apple and 10% grape juice, which was produced by Vingården (the Røed farm in Filtvet, in the Tofte area, in Hurum), associated with owner Frantz Michaelsen. The product was removed from Vinmonopolet selection in 2006. Vingården was considered part of the local culture, and Golden Power deemed by some a rare, innovative Norwegian product. Traditions of winemaking were established in 1886, and Vingården came to have a production capacity of some 800,000 litres while the production process of Golden Power was claimed to last for four years. Near the end of its production, the company produced between 20,000 and 25,000 bottles annually.