A Danish Fruit Wine Fairy Tale

Located in the countryside between Randers and Viborg, surrounded by an apple orchard and Danish idyll, lies the fruit winery Cold Hand Winery. A place where the senses open, storytelling flourishes, and some of the world’s best fruit wine is produced.

It ferments and bubbles. Both in the winery’s high-ceiling production hall and in our minds and hearts. Producing some of the world’s best fruit wines is a fantastic pleasure and an ever-evolving process that surprises us time and again. But we believe it is possible because we steer clear of fruits that are better turned into wine elsewhere in the world. Instead, we focus all our efforts on Danish fruits and berries, which truly thrive right here, where we live. The temperature fluctuations of the late summer days give the special Nordic acid profile, which is pure, fresh, aromatic, and golden.

Our winery is a workshop where we experiment to find precisely the tones and notes that bring us closer to the world’s best fruit wine. Wine from Danish apples, pears, rhubarb, cherries, black currants, and quinces.

Turning nature’s own produce into world-class wines and liqueurs makes us happy, proud, and humble at the same time. We go to great lengths and quickly become very nerdy in our quest for the best product. Apples are not just apples, and cherries are not just cherries. We know the varieties like our own children, and achieving the right acid/sweetness balance takes true detective work, where we optimize the harvest and are extremely careful in the processing.

Our fruit wine adventure is built on down-to-earth values, curiosity, and a desire to share the good story. Annually, we welcome thousands of adventure-seeking visitors to our winery. With open arms, storytelling, and infectious enthusiasm, we show guests around among fragrant tanks and beautiful oak barrels before giving them a experience for life. We hope you will pay us a visit.

// Jens Skovgaard & Flemming Villebro

– THE PASSION FOR NORDIC FRUITS AND BERRIES –

Wine from the Best Danish Fruits and Berries

It was the love for tangy Danish apples that in 2010 inspired Jens Skovgaard to dream about apple wine. Not cider, not “apfelwein” – but a new, exclusive, and more vinous expression. Specifically, Danish, cryo-concentrated apple wine. The dream took off somewhat by accident when a large tank of frozen apple juice leaked in a freezer. A thick and sugary “apple syrup” sparked a series of experiments, and subsequently, Jens teamed up with fruit farmer Flemming.

The fundamental element in all of the winery’s apple, pear, and quince wines is the “cryoconcentration” method, which certainly results in cold hands. Immediately after harvesting, the fruits are pressed, and the juice is frozen. The juice is then thawed outdoors at subzero temperatures, where the frost binds the water in the juice, while sugar, acid, aroma, and color drip off as thick raw syrup. These golden drops are subsequently made into Danish fruit wine with a very special Nordic acid profile and aroma. Fresh, fruity, and clean.

Over time, more exclusive types of wine have been added to the assortment; fortified wines, sparkling wines, and spirits. All made from carefully selected Danish fruits and berries. The wines have won awards and recognition far and wide, and they are served at some of the best gourmet restaurants in Denmark and abroad. The wines can be purchased from retailers nationwide, in the winery’s own shop, and in the webshop.

- FRUGTEN , MOSTEN & OMHYGGELIGHEDEN -

Vin på de bedste danske frugter og bær

Det var kærligheden til de syrlige danske æbler, der tilbage i 2010 fik Jens Skovgaard til at drømme om æblevin. Ikke cider, ikke “apfelwein” – men et nyt, eksklusivt og mere vinøst udtryk. Nemlig dansk, kryokoncentreret æblevin. Drømmen tog fart ved lidt af et tilfælde, da en stor dunk med frossen æblemost lækkede i fryseren. En tyk og sukkerholdig “æblesirup” satte gang i en række eksperimenter, og sidenhen allierede Jens sig med frugtavleren Flemming.

Grundsubstansen i alle vineriets æble-, pære-, og kvædevine er metoden "kryokoncentration", som i den grad giver kolde hænder. Straks efter høst presses frugterne, og mosten fryses. Mosten optøs efterfølgende udendørs ved minusgrader, hvor frosten binder vandet i mosten, mens sukker, syre, aroma og farve drypper af som tyk rå sirup. De gyldne dråber laves efterfølgende til dansk frugtvin med en helt særlig nordisk syreprofil og aroma. Frisk, frugtig og ren.

Med tiden er flere eksklusive vine og vintyper kommet til sortimentet; hedvine, mousserende vine og spiritus. Alle lavet på nøje udvalgte danske frugter og bær. Vinene har høstet priser og anerkendelse vidt og bredt, og de serveres på nogle af de bedste gourmetrestauranter i Danmark og i udlandet. Vinene kan købes hos forhandlere landet over, i vineriets gårdbutik og i webshoppen.

– The Fruit –

At Cold Hand Winery, we aim for the best results. Therefore, we exclusively use Danish fruits and berries in our production. We choose what is best in our latitude, allowing the pure quality to be our signature. Apples, pears, cherries, blackcurrants, plums, redcurrants, blackberries, quinces, and rhubarb develop a high acidity and a very special aroma in Denmark. This is something we can thank the cool summer nights for – and the specially selected fruit and berry growers who year after year deliver the best of the best to us. They understand the raw materials. We handle the rest.

Our apples and pears are grown in Flemming Villebro’s beautiful fruit orchard on Funen. We have a particular fondness for good old Danish varieties such as Ingrid Marie and Filippa.