Despite frost and drought, several Danish wine growers are expecting a record harvest.

10/12/2026

Will 2026 be a record year for Danish wine? It is still too early to conclude, but the first reports from Danish vineyards indicate an interesting vintage with significant local differences and positive expectations for quality, writes DanishWine.com in a press release. So far, this year's growing season has included frost, summer heat, drought, and a wet late summer. This cocktail of weather conditions has affected the vineyards differently, but across the country, winemakers generally report healthy grapes and promising wines. One of them is the organic Guldbæk Vineyard in North Jutland, where director and owner Kim Thrysøe already reports a record harvest: "2026 is a record year for us. Fruit set and pollination were perfect, and if we hadn't green-harvested and thinned, the clusters would have hung shoulder to shoulder. The quality followed suit, and there was no botrytis. Our first wine, Primo, has already finished fermenting, and all the figures are as they should be," says the North Jutland winemaker, who took over the vineyard from his parents in 2023. The prospect of a large harvest this year led the vineyard to invest in a used harvester so that the grapes can be gathered without relying on a large team of volunteer pickers. According to DanishWine.com, other vineyards have lost some grapes to frost, while a cold winter and a late spring have delayed growth for some winemakers, resulting in a late harvest, but overall, the quality of this year's harvest is good. Only 25 years as a wine nation This year's harvest takes place in a young wine industry that has developed significantly over the past 25 years. Denmark was officially recognized as a wine-producing country in the EU in 2000 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025. Since then, Danish winemakers have worked to build a new industry with their own cultivation methods, investments in production equipment, and increasing experience with Nordic growing conditions. At DanishWine.com, which specializes in selling Danish wines, there is also a growing interest in Danish drops. "We are experiencing a Danish wine industry in strong growth, where the quality of the wines is improving year after year. It is impressive what Danish winemakers have achieved in just 25 years. We especially notice increasing interest from wine clubs eager to explore Danish wine and try something different from the traditional wine countries. Many are positively surprised by the quality and the great variety of Danish wines," says Christopher Hofman Laursen, owner of DanishWine.com. According to Denmark's Statistics, Danish grape production more than tripled from 2016 to 2022, reaching 349 tons.

So far, this year's growing season has included both frost, summer heat, drought, and a wet late summer. This cocktail of weather conditions has affected the vineyards differently, but across the country, winemakers generally report healthy grapes and promising wines.

One of them is the organic Guldbæk Vineyard in North Jutland, where director and owner Kim Thrysøe already reports a record harvest:

”2026 is a record year for us. Fruit setting and pollination were perfect, and if we hadn't green-harvested and thinned, the clusters would have hung shoulder to shoulder. The quality followed suit, and there was no botrytis. Our first wine, Primo, has already finished fermenting, and all figures are as they should be,” says the North Jutland winemaker, who took over the vineyard from his parents in 2023.

The prospect of a large harvest this year led the vineyard to invest in a used harvest machine so that the grapes can be brought in without relying on a larger team of volunteer pickers.

According to DanishWine.com, other vineyards have lost some grapes to frost, while a cold winter and a late spring have delayed growth for some winemakers, resulting in a late harvest, but overall, the quality of this year's harvest is good.

Only 25 years as a wine nation

This year's harvest takes place in a young wine industry that has developed significantly over the past 25 years. Denmark was officially recognized as a wine-producing country in the EU in 2000 and thus celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025.

Since then, Danish winemakers have worked to build a new industry with their own cultivation methods, investments in production equipment, and increasingly more experience with Nordic growing conditions.

At DanishWine.com, which specializes in selling Danish wines, there is also a growing interest in Danish drops.

”We are experiencing a Danish wine industry in strong growth, where the quality of the wines is getting better and better year after year. It is impressive what Danish winemakers have achieved in just 25 years. We especially notice increasing interest from wine clubs, who want to explore Danish wine and try something different from the traditional wine countries. Many are positively surprised by the quality and the great variety of Danish wines,” says Christopher Hofman Laursen, owner of DanishWine.com.

According to Statistics Denmark, Danish grape production more than tripled from 2016 to 2022, reaching 349 tons.