After 17 years at Bistro Boheme, Christian ‘Cuba’ Gustafsson Cazón has built one of Denmark’s most decorated wine lists — and a team that finishes his stories for him. Ask him about any of it, and he would rather talk about the guest, the next generation, and his four children. 

Don't let the name fool you. Hannes Storm’s motto ’stick to your knitting’ says it all about this calm, methodical, and utterly focused winemaker — and that is precisely why his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Hemel-en-Aarde are among the most thrilling wines South Africa has ever produced.

At 22, Teigh Crowley is head sommelier at one of Copenhagen's most anticipated restaurants. He fell for wine as a teenager and never quite recovered. Ask him what a sommelier actually does, and he reaches for the cinema: that particular magic of sitting down, leaning back, and letting the world outside disappear for a few hours. Wine helps – or an amazake - if the dish calls for it. The rest is just keeping an open heart. And very good listening. 

The date is saved - Monday, 31st of August. The day when best sommeliers of Denmark will compete to find a winner of DM 2026. It is a significant day for the wine industry and sommeliers across the country, and it has to be celebrated properly. This year, we are glad to announce that two very special individuals will join us. Ladies and gentlemen - meet Alba Hough, President of the Icelandic Sommelier Association, and Piotr Kamecki, Vice-president for Europe ASI. They were keen on answering a couple of questions, so you, our member, can get to know what they stand for.

“Why Is It Always Uphill?” Bo Barrett concludes after our interview. Fifty years after the Judgment of Paris turned California wine history on its head, Bo Barrett — CEO of Chateau Montelena — is still climbing. Not because he has to. Because that is simply who he is. 

Originally from Switzerland, Jessica Julmy comes as very confident, witty and bold. She takes a lot of space and I gain a huge respect for her straight away. We sit next to each other, the only two women in the room, just up front, all eyes on us. I feel home. Here’s a couple of questions she was willing to use her time to spend on answering afterwards.

Third place at the Danish Sommelier Championship, ASI bootcamp experience, and a clear philosophy on service. Michael Rønne Sørensen shares his approach to wine competition and the long game of becoming a better sommelier.

Raised by the ocean, shaped by freedom — and how that made the Swartland a great wine region.

Clos du Caillou is known for its sandy soils, organic farming and quiet precision. In Copenhagen, just before the HORECA tasting, I meet Marilou Vacheron to speak about heritage, climate adaptation and what it means when wine is not just work, but life.

Chris Alheit doesn't seek attention, doesn't do social media, and won't sell a wine he isn't fully confident in. He just happens to make some of the most coveted Chenin Blancs on the planet.

Champagne J.M. Goulard is a grower estate in the Massif de Saint Thierry with around 60 percent Meunier planted on sand dominant soils. Since the third generation took over, the estate has moved to organic farming and refined its cellar approach with parcel separation, restrained oak use and detailed lees ageing. 

The Rheingau is Riesling country. Anyone who has spent time in this stretch of hills along the Rhine knows it — the steep south-facing slopes, the slate and quartzite soils, the proud producers who have spent centuries coaxing elegance from a single grape. So when I sat down with Verena Schöttle, the winemaker behind Chat Sauvage, a small estate producing nothing but Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the heart of this landscape, I came with a question I had been sitting on for a while: what does it actually take to do something different here, and mean it? 

I will admit it upfront: I am a devoted fan of Taupenot-Merme wines. So when I found myself sitting across from Romain Taupenot a grey morning in Copenhagen, I had to remind myself to ask questions rather than simply nod along. It turned out not to be a problem. Within the first ten minutes it became clear that Romain does not give short answers. Not because he is evasive, but because the subject does not allow for it. Burgundy, for him, is not a product. It is a living thing, and he treats it accordingly.

In many restaurants today, sommeliers are beginning to develop non-alcoholic pairings alongside traditional wine pairings. Producers are experimenting with fermentation, tea, botanicals and new blending techniques. Yet the category itself is still developing, and the language around it remains unclear. 

How do you go from being a young sommelier in Jutland to suddenly standing on an international stage surrounded by some of the world’s most skilled professionals? For Toke Fiedler Terkilldsen, 23, sommelier and waiter at Restaurant AOC and No.2, it began with curiosity and with saying yes when the opportunity arose, even before he felt “fully ready”.

We begin by speaking about the weather. Francois de Nicolay, who today runs Domaine Chandon de Briailles together with his sister Claude de Nicolay, describes an unstable season marked by rain, wind, and fluctuating temperatures. When I mention that Denmark is experiencing one of the coldest winters in years.

I met Tim Mondavi at Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen. Continuum was the focus of our meeting, but Tim’s story covers decades of work and many different projects. Much of his background is already well documented, and many of the obvious questions have been asked before. I was more interested in how his experiences connect, and how choices made years apart can lead to one clear direction.

Marlene Lund Larsen has worked in the restaurant industry for more than sixteen years and is trained through a traditional waiter apprenticeship. Her career includes positions at several highly regarded Danish restaurants, including Ti Trin Ned, where she worked as Assistant Restaurant Manager and Head Sommelier, and Falsled Kro, where she further developed her experience in fine dining service and wine programs.

When I asked Gin Isabel where it all began, she did not talk about a special bottle. She talked about work.

“I started as a dishwasher. It is hard, but it teaches you so many things. The kitchen porter is the heart of the restaurant. I was 14 years old.”

I met Pierre-Jules Peyrat at No. 2 about an hour before he was scheduled to hold a masterclass, while the room was still settling into a pre-tasting state. He arrived smiling, talking, and immediately present. Within a few minutes, it became clear that Champagne is not simply something he works with.