It was inevitable that Copenhagen, a hotbed for top chefs and wine enthusiasts, should feature in the gourmet food trail gradually being mapped out by the wine growers of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. So after Paris, Brussels, London, Berlin and Stockholm, we went off to discover the Danish capital city and became acquainted with men and women who, like us, have a penchant for good wine and the better things in life. We have brought back some portraits of the people we met and a selection of great places (wine bars and restaurants) to visit from our sociable jaunt. We hope you’ll make good use of them!
The wine bar guide
In Copenhagen, every neighbourhood has its own wine bar, or several. Selective stylishness and an ultra-hygge atmosphere define their spirit. Here is our selection.
Copenhagen's wine bars offer a remarkable range mainly thanks to the myriad small importers supplying the trade.
In our country, it is very easy to set up a company and many Danes come back from holidays abroad then establish a company to import the wines they have enjoyed whilst away. Never-ending wine lists should not be seen as intimidating though. In Copenhagen, you can trust the sommeliers: they’ve got the situation under control!
René Langdahl
“Copenhagen is one of the most exciting cities in the world for wine enthusiasts.”
The restaurant guide
Star-studded chefs, an inspired younger generation and contagious energy have transformed Copenhagen into one of the culinary sensations of our time. Here is our selection.
The success of Noma was a real game-changer. New Nordic cuisine taught not only our chefs to value Scandinavian products, but us too. This may come as a surprise today, but until recently, we Danes tended to disparage them.
The influence of New Nordic cuisine has brought recognition to highly rated restaurants - in addition to Noma, Geranium, Kadeau and Stud!o - but also permeated the culinary scene right to its core. While for a long time it was difficult to find good value for money eateries in Copenhagen, the challenge now is to choose from the plethora of great places at affordable prices!
Rasmus Palsgård
“New Nordic cuisine has given Copenhagen’s chefs a very distinctive identity.”
Johann Duedahl Jacobsen
With his two sidekicks, Patrick Hult and Andreas Waechter, Johann Duedahl Jacobsen runs Ancestrale, a wine bar that epitomises the changes in Vesterbro, the former red-light district and now one of Copenhagen’s coolest neighbourhoods.
Ever since I started making a living from cooking at the age of 17, I have always wanted a place of my own. Over the years, my idea of this place has probably changed several times. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that I have always wanted a place I’d like to go to myself. A place where there is no set formula but where each customer is treated as an individual. A place that always strives for the best, whether it’s the service, the food or the wine. In fact, I am a great wine enthusiast and I’m always trying to find new gems. I have a weak spot for regions, wines or winegrowers that know how to think outside the box.
At Ancestral, we are fond of natural wines, with a funky temperament, as well as more classic wines - but they always have to be produced in an environmentally friendly way, of course. Crozes-Hermitage wines boast an excellent reputation in Denmark, but we don't drink enough of them! They make a great match for New Nordic cuisine but also specifically Danish cuisine because of their lovely velvety structure, which works better than wines that are too full-bodied. Also, I often suggest a Crozes-Hermitage when I have a customer looking for an elegant wine who enjoys peppery or slightly smoky notes”.
Christopher Melin
This debonair Dane is a typical example of wine enthusiasts who enter the wine business by founding a small import company and then diversify. Vin de table, a wine bar in the Nordvest district, is the product of his story.
“I got bitten by the wine bug a long time ago! After studying food and working for several restaurants and an importer, I started a small wine import company in 2011. Vin de table is both a natural extension of the company's business and the culmination of a childhood dream because I have always dreamed of owning my own establishment. Vin de table is a wine bar located in Nordvest, which is one of Copenhagen’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods. There is a lot of energy and young people, and we have never regretted moving here.
The local residents are very supportive. Here, wine is an integral part of people's lives, either to go with a good meal or whenever the company warrants it. Things have changed a lot over the last five years, for the better: the service in restaurants has moved more upmarket and many wine bars have opened. Home consumption, too, has become increasingly sophisticated. The image of Crozes-Hermitage is a wine for connoisseurs, but the northern Rhone Valley is such a fantastic region that I see my mission as a go-between!”
Sigrid Dyekjaer
A new recruit for the Academy Awards, this renowned documentary film producer is also a confirmed Francophile and a serious wine enthusiast.
There are two great passions in Sigrid Dyekjaer's life: cinema, of course, which she has made her profession by producing documentaries (The Monastery, Something Better To Come...) that stand out for their ambition and critical acclaim and have won numerous awards at festivals. And then there is wine, which is part of her family ritual.
“On Friday nights, I like to open a good bottle of wine. I drink it with a little bread and olive oil produced by my mother, who has been living in the Rhone Valley in the South of France for several years. It is important for me to introduce my grown-up children to wine so that they can put what they taste into words”.
And then there is travel, particularly the trips to the Rhone Valley. “I usually go and see my mother by car because the journey from Denmark doesn’t take long. And I like the feeling of driving amidst the vineyards, which reminds me how alive wine is”.
It was inevitable that, sooner or later, Sigrid Dyekjaer's two great passions would cross paths. Her next documentary will be dedicated to the history of Frederiksdal estate, in Harpelunde in the western part of the Danish island of Lolland. Its speciality is producing fine wines from cherries, using Stevns cherries, which are said to be the grapes of the Nordic countries.
Julie Boénec
John Kørner
Viewed as a major artist in Denmark, this free-spirited painter is renowned for his artwork revealing the darkness of our time. He is also a serious wine enthusiast.
John Kørner put down roots in Copenhagen many years ago, but he grew up in the countryside on the island of Lolland. His childhood spent at the water's edge created a strong bond with nature and a fascination for changing lights that he has kept to this day. Perhaps it’s the reason why he has just moved his workshop to the docks of the Sydhavn district, on the fringes of the Danish capital’s port. It is here that the artist intends to pursue his creative work, with the same topical focus, and a penchant for social and political issues. “I like to observe how people lead their lives and to cross-reference different worlds, because I draw my inspiration from the interstices”. The ultimate example of this mixture of genres is his fresco “War Problems”, dedicated to the war in Afghanistan, which is now on display at Amalienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Danish monarchy.
He likes to exhibit his paintings, shaped by the environmental, military and humanitarian crises of our era, by securing a place for them in the bastions of the establishment, fashionable galleries or famous museums in Copenhagen, London and Helsinki. In this creative universe, where the vibrant colours contrast with the darkness of the topics, the ancient passion of wine appears almost as a happy escape, freed from the shackles of uncertainty. John Kørner confesses that the reason he agreed to design a label for top German firm Georg Breuer, is because of his instinctive approach to wine: “I like to talk about the feelings created by wine, but by focusing entirely on the experience of the moment”.
Julie Boénec
