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The Reykjavík wine scene has never been livelier

The world’s most expensive country for alcohol has seen a quiet transformation and, despite the challenges of taxation, it looks like Reykjavik is poised to be a bustling hub for oenophiles.

How far we’ve come

Serial restaurateur and one of the owners behind restaurant Brút and wine bar Vínstúkan Ólafur Örn Steinunnar Ólafsson explains that, with the growing number of restaurants and the introduction of affordable new world wines, the perception of both wine and drinking has slowly changed — he recalls a time when Icelanders would order a vodka-Coke with dinner.

That change has been particularly accelerated in the past 20 years. “New world wines are hundreds of years old, old World wines are thousands of years old. 20 years in the scope of wine,” Alba Hough clarifies sagely, “is a blip on the radar.” Alba is a lauded sommelier, the Star Wine List ambassador for Iceland and over- became more prevalent.

“ The Icelander is not afraid to try new things, but we are also not afraid to tell you if it is shit,” Alba is candid, “This pragmatism — of knowing what we like and what we don’t like, is of equal importance,” she stresses. It’s helped the wine scene grow substantially in her view and the evolution has been fairly fast.

On the other hand, the country’s fraught history with alcohol does seem to influence inclinations still. When Spain threatened to stop importing salted cod if Iceland didn’t buy Spanish wine in return, it prompted politicians to bow to pressure and legalise importing reds and rosés from Portugal and Spain in 1921.

César Garduño, head sommelier at Credo, Norway, and formerly of Dill, observes a similarity between Icelandic and Mexican diners. “Back in the day, most wine drunk in Mexico and Ice land was Spanish; in Mexico because of colonisation, in Iceland because of the fish. So in terms of wine palate, they like a medium to full body profile,” he explains.

Wine bars and more

Where one long had to suffer a house wine in a bar, today’s wine bars centre wines from worlds old, new and in-between. Most of them, unsurprisingly, are concentrated in the heart of downtown Reykjavík, but menus across the country are starting to see a smattering of natural wines, jostling for space with conventional e is being driven by individuals and establishments satisfying a craving for choice that has been lacking until now. Ólafur is one such driver, with his desire for a nice, informal and no nonsense space in which to drink. Which is what he created in Vínstukan, which he runs with Bragi Skaftasson and chef Ragnar Eiriksson. As he bluntly puts it, “we sell what we like, and we don’t drink crap. We focus on interesting wines, mostly natural, but don’t discriminate against more conventional wines, as long as they are not from corporate wineries and only European. Quality for price is what we focus on.”

Will we continue to see more wine bars and more restaurants offering interesting wine lists? Those I spoke to are optimistic. “Wine should be fun and delicious,” Gunnar says and Gísli agrees, “natural wines today are always getting better with every year and Iceland is catching on that wines don't have to be super serious to be super fun to drink.” elcome to Junkyard – the vegan food revolution you’ve been waiting for!

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