Behind the vine

Miriam Arcerito - Nordlund - Copenhangen, Denmark

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

I started pretty young. My first experience with wine was not that high class - mostly in my teens (cherry wines), but I’m half Italian so the culture from my family is that wine is something you always have on the table. I'm an educated waiter, and I worked in the stressful environment of the restaurant business. It’s hard work being a waiter in Denmark, and the part I loved the most in service was telling the story about winemakers and their wines. I was fascinated by the hard work people do to create something. I always dreamt of becoming a winemaker walking in the vineyards with a dog - that romantic feeling of making wine.

Then the crisis came and there wasn't time dedicated to creating good experiences for people in restaurants. It became about running between the kitchen and the guests, and I got stressed out and changed my education. I started gardener education and I thought I would work in greenhouse producing fruit, but the gardener work in Denmark was going through a rough time and I couldn't justify staying in it.

In 2012, I saw that Denmark was getting acknowledgement in winemaking. A few people were putting effort and money in the wine industry and making some good wines. I always thought I was going to go to Sicily when I reached retirement and start a vineyard, with time and money, but it was a great match for me. From being a waiter and wanting to tell the story of the wine, I fit into the world. It's really hard work, and we don't have the reputation yet, but we're still trying. I have great expectations that Danish wine can do something for themselves, but we have to find our ways.

What story does your wine tell?

My passion is making quality wine and I'm trying to find the taste of Denmark. The Taste of Denmark is undefinable - it's a work in process. That's the beautiful part of making wine in Denmark, there is no defined way. To start with, we have some varieties that people are not too familiar with - hybrid plants that can ripen in Denmark. We have a very short ripening season (100 days) and we have some extreme climates. We can have a lot of rainy days and then we can also have extreme variation during the day, but the hybrid plants are resistant to that kind of weather and most pests and diseases.

A lot of Danish producers make white wine or sparkling wine, because they think it's the only thing we can do. 80% of my varieties are red grapes, so I produce rosé and red wine, too. I like that we're trying different kinds of things. In 2018 I got the certificate of organic wine producer. I like to go to work and put a finger in the dirt and say what can we do now?

The most important thing when people have a glass of my wine is that it's drinkable and gives people a good experience. I don't want to be a wine snob, I want to make wine for the people.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

I think people question why you would make wine if you don’t earn a lot of money from it, but it’s about passion. The production cost is so high in Denmark, and I have a really small vineyard. I have a small production, and I won't be able to produce a lot of wine or expand, but I still love it.

Secondly, I still think people see women as irregular in the wine world. I once had an adult man say to me, 'No you can't be a winemaker. You're a woman.’ People look at me like 'you must have a man helping you’, but I'm doing everything I can myself. I have a bookkeeper who comes a couple of hours, a winemaker in Germany who comes a few times a year.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

Wine gives you good experiences. I think wine brings people together. No matter what level in society, no matter what gender.

I just love that wine creates happy times. For me, the romantic part of making a wine is the fact that someone takes it home and shares with a loved one - that’s my drive.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

I would say don’t let people talk you out of it. Follow your dreams, but also be prepared to put a lot of work and effort in if you're gonna make it. You shouldn't get into wine if you think it is a 9-5 job. It's hard work and it's full on, but it's going to give you a life purpose and a symbiosis with the natural world. I love working with nature and being in rhythm with the plants. I’m so much more connected with nature, and you will gain a lot of respect for doing wine after doing it yourself.

Where can women find your wine?

Nordlund is only available in Denmark, but I have a web shop and can ship all over the world.