Vejrhøj Vingård

 Today I felt especially grounded to the earth and my surroundings. After spending the last few days in Copenhagen, visiting the castle at Dragsholm Castle, which included listening to the birds and feeling the sea breeze on my face, was a refreshing reset to our travel experiences.   After a morning foraging expedition around the castle, we journeyed to a local vineyard and winery.

The Dragsholm Castle wall giving way to a garden space and farming land beyond.

Nina and Niels are the owners of the vineyard and winery, and were also our hosts for the afternoon.  What began as simply an opportunity to retire to a home on a hillside with a beautiful view has now turned into a full-time experience of growing and harvesting grapes on their property.  After arriving, Nina walked us through the vineyard to describe the grape growing techniques that they are employing as an organic farm in Denmark climate that is farther north than traditional grape producing areas in Europe.  As a wine enthusiast, learning about the production and harvest process was really captivating and informative. I had not previously understood the complexity and detail that went into preparing the grape vine for harvest.  Nina passionately and expertly explained the growing and harvesting process.  

After a tour of the vineyard concluded, we then joined Niels in the production area to discuss the fermentation process.  Afterword, Niels provided a tasting of both still and sparkling wine to the class while explaining the differences in the fermentation process that led to the different varieties we sampled. The tasting experience was unique in that it provided us immediate visual access to the vineyard where the grapes had been grown while we sampled the final product.  While I have great passion for beef production and the ranching operation that my parents operate, there was a unique simplicity involved at the winery; one that seemed to connect a person directly to the earth and the wine that is produces. 

The vineyard at Vejrhøj