We are Nina and Joachim

In 2022, with our two children Anna Manon and August, we moved from Østerbro in Copenhagen to the unique natural area of Bjergene in the very west of Zealand. A rather run-down house on an absolutely fantastic property in a protected heathland area, right next to the hilly Kårup Forest and Sejerø Bay.

In addition to creating a new home for our family, the dream was to cultivate completely natural wine based on organic and regenerative principles and to establish a gallery for Nina's glass art, where her organic design language and natural motifs could be reflected in the surroundings.

If you are interested in learning more about Nina's art, you can visit www.ninanorgaard.com. Briefly, Nina is a trained glassblower and has worked with her art all over the world. She creates large and small works (wall pieces, lamps, vases, giant dishes, and much more), but also - under the name Nina Nørgaard Studio - designs a series of more utility-oriented glass designs. We sell a selection of the Studio series here at www.bjergenes.com and even more from our gallery shop in Bjergene, where you can stop by and explore. For now, we are only open by appointment - and when we host special events.

The first thing we did when we arrived in Bjergene was to terminate the lease agreement with the farmer who cultivated grain on the land. Then, we let 90% of our land begin its journey towards a highly biodiverse heathland nature and planted 1,500 grapevines on a hill that slopes beautifully southeast from 80 meters above the surface of Sejerø Bay. Perhaps it's Denmark's highest vineyard? In any case, it is located in the middle of a genuine ice age landscape created 17,000 years ago by a gigantic ice tongue that pushed enormous amounts of material from the Baltic Sea in front of it, accumulating it in a large semicircle: the Vejrhøj Arch.

Ice Age Wine Landscape

The Ice Age landscape theoretically provides fantastic conditions for cultivating wine, and in many ways resembles what is found in classic Southern European wine regions. Our specific area is one of the places in Denmark with the most hours of sunshine - and the least rainfall. And because the vineyard is located on a rather steep slope, the grapevines can get maximum sunlight during the ripening period. At the same time, the water in Sejerø Bay reflects the light and extends the hours of sunshine for the grapes. The large body of water in the bay also acts as a gigantic heating pad, keeping frost away in the autumn. This extends the growing season, allowing the grapes to develop sugar and aromatic compounds right up until harvest. And in spring, the hills protect against cold winds and reduce the risk of the spring frost so feared by northern winemakers.

The soil itself at the top of the hills is quite clayey, which means it retains water well - even during warm summers. Erosion over time has carried the top layer of sand, soil, and gravel down the hills, where the soil drains much faster. Here, the grapevines have to struggle more to get water, but that's not a bad thing either. It leads to deeper roots and unlocks a lot of magic further down in the subsoil.

But all of this is still theory. Every year, we prune the plants and let them shoot again to give them strong roots and healthy growth before letting them bear grapes. And realistically, we don't know yet what the result will be. We harvest a little every year - and more and more each year that passes. And we learn along the way how best to allow the wine to unfold optimally in the microclimate we have provided.

Sea Vineyard

Over time, our goal is to create a place where land and water communicate. We are involved in many exciting and quirky projects in the local area - for example, Joachim, together with a local fisherman in Havnsø, has established a seaweed farm off Nekselø in Sejerø Bay. An area of two hectares where sugar kelp, dulse, thongweed, bladderwrack, and other good things are already being cultivated. It gets better and better every year. At some point, we would also like to cultivate oysters and mussels. And all of this is inextricably linked to Joachim having founded the organization Havhøst (www.havhoest.dk), which works throughout the country with regenerative marine cultivation in local maritime garden associations. We dream of re-establishing the cycle between land and sea and recirculating nutrients from sea farm to vineyard - but primarily of creating increased access to the fantastic edible raw materials that come from the sea. And that don't swim away.