Basic info about the Danish wine market
(Updated October 2022)
Trade structure and government taxes
Denmark does not have a wine monopoly. It is a liberal market with hundreds of importers.
The country is quite small. You should consider to have only one importer.
Duty approximately €1,3 per bottle (still wine with max 15% abv).
VAT is at 25%.
General purchasing patterns
Wines in the price range 45,- to 60,- DKK (6 – 8 EUR) are the most popular.
72% of the Danes buy wine mainly in supermarkets, but the trend is decreasing. 26% buy their wine at wine merchants and 11% of the Danes buy wine online. Especially the online trend is increasing.
While the supermarket is the number one wine-buying channel in Denmark, the proportion of Danish regular wine drinkers purchasing wine in-person from traditional outlets (eg. supermarkets or hypermarkets) has significantly decreased since 2013.
Meanwhile, the number of those buying wine online has significantly increased, in part due to the improvement and introduction of online shopping experiences from major retailers such as Coop, Føtex and Rema 1000.
Danish wine preferences
The preferred countries based on market share within still wine: Italy (21%), France (12%), Spain (12%) and Australia (11%).
The preferred countries based on market share within sparkling wine: France (35%), Italian (29%) and Spanish (24%). German wine is in a fourth place with a market share of 7%.
Varietal preferences based on declared purchases within the past 6 months.
White — Chardonnay 55%, Sauvignon 42%, Riesling 36%, Pinot Gris 26%, Moscato 17%.
Red — Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 51%, Syrah 38%, Pinot Noir 37%, Zinfandel 33%.
Awareness of German wine in Denmark
63% of the Danes are aware that Germany produces wine and 20% of Danes declare to have drunk wine from Germany within the past 6 months.
Growing trends
The Danish market has developed a strong focus on organic and biodynamic viticulture, orange and natural winemaking (including vegan wines).
Copenhagen has fast become one of the world’s most diverse wine cities and Europe’s leading natural wine hub after London and Paris
Organic or biodynamic certification has also acquired a growing importance in wine retail.