Denmark

Denmark is not important in viticulture, but people there have always liked to consume wine. One of the most prominent wine lovers was King Christian IV. (1577-1648). For his numerous festivities he had Riesling imported by the barrel from the German Middle Rhine wine region. Since August 2000 Denmark has been recognised as a wine-growing region by the European Union. This means that Danish wine can be sold for commercial purposes. The maximum area under vines approved by the EU is 99 hectares. The following are permitted, among others the white wine varieties Auxerrois, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Ehrenbreitsteiner, Goldriesling, Huxelrebe, Kerner, Kernling, Madeleine Angevine, Merzling, Optima, Ortega, Pearl of Zala(Zala Gyöngye), Phoenix, Pinot Blanc, Précoce de Malingre, Regner, Siegerrebe and Solaris, as well as the red wine varieties Cabernet Cortis, Muscat Donskoi, Dunkelfelder, Léon Millot, Maréchal Foch, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Rondo

The first wine producer was Skærsøgaard Vin (winemaker Sven Moesgaard) near Kolding in south-east Jutland near the coast (Little Belt). Red wine, white wine and sparkling wine are produced here. Other producers are Dansk Vincenter, Frederiksborg Vin, Vinperlen, Domain Aalsgaard (all on the island of Zealand) and Lille Gadegaard (Bornholm Island). There are over 20 winegrowers. In the beginning the products were only allowed to be marketed as "table wine". In 2007, the EU allowed for the first time to indicate region, vintage and grape variety on the label. However, Denmark's most important alcoholic contribution is the aquavit distilled from potatoes or cereals with the protected designation of origin "Danske". It is possible that Danish viticulture will become more important in the future due to climate change.