Trolls drink honey wine too

This month's label was designed by Eskild Thomsen, who has a unique approach to visual art. Thomsen’s creations are characterized by their ability to stoke emotion through a minimalist yet evocative style.

For this piece, Thomsen chose to create something informal, but cool nonetheless, reflecting his style. “I think it's a bit pretentious to talk about myself and my projects.” Thomsen remarks, “But I just try, and love, like everyone else doing the same, to illustrate sensory impressions in a unique or interesting way, hoping that something visually satisfying will connect with those who happen to come across it. That's why I came up with "Vintrolden", a homemade figure drawn in my unique style.” 

For Thomsen, the process of creating art is about expressing sensory impressions in a unique and unapologetic way. The character, with a simple dried out appearance, embodies the concept of preservation, tying seamlessly into the wine's use of dried juniper berries. 

We think “Vintrolden” encompasses Thomsen's artistic vision and our idea behind the bottle, namely the dried out, heavily-drinking troll, who never seems to quench his thirst, however many bottles he gets his hands on. A nod to Danish drinking culture - and who are we to judge?

Winemaker's notes:

“When we discuss and brainstorm which flavours we’d like to have at Dekanted, it gets harder and harder during wintertime. The cold climate in Denmark makes the availability of local ingredients scarce. This means we have to get creative and work around the short list of available ingredients. 

I thought of ways to do that and came up with the idea of making a wine primarily from dried ingredients. Drying is a great way to preserve ingredients that wouldn’t normally be available in the winter. The flavour profile also changes, creating an entirely different taste compared to fresh alternatives. That’s why we wanted to create a wine that embodies the concept of preservation through drying, celebrating alternative ways of crafting complex flavours without fresh ingredients. 

We ended up with a base of dried orange, lemongrass, juniper berries, and black currant juice, along with a variety of aromatics. We wanted to achieve a fresh and clean-tasting wine, so I chose ingredients with bright and sharp flavours, balancing them with the mellowness of black currant. However, knowing that using dried ingredients would result in a wine with a tannin-rich body, potentially leading to an unbalanced, musky flavour, I ultimately opted for adding a small amount of heather honey at the end. This enhances the natural flavours, brightening the entire tasting experience, and evening out the tannin levels.”