Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Denmark
Take a sip of the world For decades, the wine specialist De Danske Vinrejser (Danish Wine Tours) has taken Danes abroad to explore the world of wine. Thanks to the company’s extensive network and knowledge, tours offer access and insight into regions and places even well-travelled wine enthusiasts might otherwise struggle to see. By Signe Hansen | Photos: De Danske Vinrejser
Ever since the early 1980s, Ruth Tilgaard and her team at De Danske Vinrejser have been working to expand the Danes’ knowledge of wine. Initially aimed at the professional market, Tilgaard started out arranging tours for restaurateurs, wine importers and retailers, but, as wine retailers wanted to offer their customers the same experience they had had, she was soon encouraged to expand to the private market. “The Danish wine interest has developed incredibly, from back when we used to 64 | Issue 109 | February 2018
drink ‘the one with the bull on’, to now, when we are seen as so open-minded that we are used as a test market for many wine producers and exporters,” says Tilgaard. “Today, we have a lot of wine drinkers who are interested in expanding their knowledge both at home and abroad. Unlike some of our neighbouring countries where the wine trade is monopolised, the Danes have a very natural and curious relationship to wine, and the best way to learn more is, of course, to go out and explore and experience.”
In addition to arranging group tours that combine wine and gastronomy with history and nature experiences, Tilgaard and her team also arrange corporate incentive events for companies travelling abroad and wishing to treat employees or business partners to a tailor-made cultural food or wine experience, or both.
A new world As the Danish wine market has exploded over the last couple of decades, so has the world of wine tourism, with many Danes travelling to France, Italy and Germany to explore their favourite wine regions. But with more than 1,600 wine importers in Denmark, Danes no longer drink wine exclusively from the nearby and easily accessible destinations such as Bourgogne and Alsace. In recent years, many new wine regions