Danish Christmas Gifts: Ideas and Traditions From a Danish Vineyard
How Danes give presents at Christmas, from the pakkekalender to the mandelgave, and Danish gift ideas a winegrower would give himself: organic wine, dessert wine, gin and experiences by the sea.
- Gift sets from 400 kr.
- Delivery in Denmark with GLS
- Organic wine from Karrebæksminde
What makes a good Danish Christmas gift?
By Jesper Rye Jensen, winegrower and owner of Vesterhave VingaardUpdated 2026
A good Danish Christmas gift is made in Denmark and fits the Danish way of celebrating, where gifts are opened on Christmas Eve and shared at the table. Wine, honey and spirits from a Danish vineyard such as Vesterhave Vingaard in Karrebæksminde, South Zealand, are a local choice, with gift sets from 400 kroner.
Every November people ask us the same thing in the farm shop: what do I give a Dane who has everything? Or the other way round: what do I bring home from Denmark for my family abroad? Design and pastries are the classic answers. My answer, as a winegrower, is something you can taste and that was grown here.
In this guide I explain how Danes give presents at Christmas, so your gift lands at the right moment, and I list the gifts we make on the vineyard by Smålandshavet, with prices from our webshop. If you are new to Danish wine, start with our Danish wine guide.
How do Danes give Christmas gifts?
Danes open their main Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, 24 December, after dinner and the dance around the Christmas tree. Before that, December is full of smaller gift traditions, from the daily pakkekalender to the pakkeleg dice game at the julefrokost.
| Tradition | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Pakkekalender | 1 to 24 December | A present calendar for children with 24 small wrapped gifts, one for every morning in December (Studieskolen). |
| Pakkeleg at the julefrokost | November and December | A dice game where guests win and steal small wrapped presents. It is played at many Christmas lunches and family parties. Our pakkeleg guide (in Danish) has the rules. |
| Christmas Eve presents | 24 December, evening | The presents lie under the tree and are opened late in the evening, after dinner and the dance around the tree (Studieskolen). |
| Mandelgave | 24 December, dessert | The almond present goes to the person who finds the whole almond in the risalamande. It used to be a marzipan pig (Studieskolen). |
Source: Studieskolen: 15 words you must know when you spend Christmas in Denmark (2022).
From sweets to surprise presents
Christmas presents in Denmark started small. In the 1700s, middle class children began to get toys and not just sweets as Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve, and since the 1800s the usual practice has been that children’s presents are surprises they open themselves, according to Den Store Danske on lex.dk (2024).
Homemade and local is back
The same source notes that during the 1990s it again became more common to make your own gifts and wrap them in a special way. That fits a gift from a Danish farm well: a bottle with a story, honey from the fields or a gift card for a day out, wrapped by hand.
Which Danish Christmas gifts can you buy from a Danish vineyard?
At Vesterhave Vingaard you can buy gift sets, single bottles and gift cards in the webshop or in the farm shop. These are the gifts I would choose, with prices from our webshop.
| Gift | Price | Good for | Inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gift box with gin and dram | 400 kr. | Colleagues, the pakkeleg budget or a host | Two 20 cl bottles: gin and a dram |
| Gift box with dessert wine and mead | 500 kr. | Grandparents and anyone with a sweet tooth | Two 37.5 cl bottles: Hed Lagune dessert wine and apple mead |
| Gift bag with rosé and red wine | 600 kr. | A couple, or a host who likes both | Two bottles: rosé and red wine |
| Gift bag with two red wines | 600 kr. | The red wine lover | Two 50 cl bottles of red wine |
| Gift basket with three bottles and honey | 850 kr. | The big family present or a boss | Red wine, gin, a port style dessert wine and honey |
| Gift card for a tasting or tour | Your choice | The person who has everything | A PDF gift card for a visit to the vineyard |
Prices including VAT from our webshop, November 2026. Gift sets can sell out before Christmas, so check the shop for what is in stock.
For the wine lover
Sort Lagune (500 kr., 50 cl) is our powerful red, aged one year in oak, with dark berries, smoke and mint. Sort Lagune 3 scored 93 points from Falstaff.
For the Christmas table
Hvid Lagune 2025 (300 kr., 50 cl) is a full white wine from Solaris and Pinot Gris that works with the fish and herring at a Danish Christmas lunch. Hvid Lagune has scored 90 to 92 points from Falstaff.
For dessert
Hed Lagune 2019 (300 kr., 37.5 cl) is a dessert wine in the style of a ruby port with 93 points from Falstaff. It is a good mandelgave for adults, next to the risalamande.
Why give Danish wine as a Christmas gift?
Danish wine makes a personal Christmas gift because very few people have tasted it. Denmark had 146 businesses growing grapes for wine and 173 hectares of vines in 2022, according to Statistics Denmark (2024). Sales of Danish wine reached 34 million kroner in 2023, which is tiny next to imported wine.
Danish wine can also be very good. Our Blå Lagune 2019 received 96 points from Falstaff, and Sort Lagune 3 received 93 points. A bottle like that on the Christmas table starts a conversation in a way a well known import rarely does.
The story is part of the gift. Our vines grow directly by Smålandshavet near Karrebæksminde, where the sea protects them against night frost and gives the grapes a long ripening season. We pick by hand, and for our Amarone inspired reds we dry part of the grapes before pressing, a method called appassimento (in Danish). Our wines are organic and carry the official organic label.
If the gift is for someone who loves Danish Christmas food, add our guide to Danish Christmas food and wine, or our recipe for Danish gløgg with a bottle of red.
Is an experience a good Danish Christmas gift?
An experience is a good Danish Christmas gift for the person who already has everything. A gift card for a wine tasting at Vesterhave Vingaard turns into a day by the sea in Karrebæksminde, about one hour by car from Copenhagen. Our page on wine tasting near Copenhagen explains how to plan the visit.
The easiest way is the gift card on our booking page. You choose the amount yourself, and the receiver gets a PDF gift card you can print and put under the tree. Our webshop also sells fixed gift cards of 300, 600 and 1,000 kroner, which are valid for one year for visits, tours, tastings and the farm shop.
At a tasting the guests typically try 4 to 6 glasses, walk through the organic fields where we grow Solaris for white wine and Leon Millot and Regent for red, and see the winery with its tanks and oak barrels. Tapas with local specialities, cheese and homemade bread can be added. Tastings and tours run from spring to late autumn, so a gift card given at Christmas becomes something to look forward to. Our Danish article on gift cards for wine tasting has more ideas.
For a bigger present, give a night at the vineyard. We have two suites, one with a view of the vines and one with a view of both the vines and the sea. Read about our vineyard stay (in Danish).
How do you send a Danish Christmas gift in Denmark?
You can order a Danish Christmas gift in our webshop and have it delivered anywhere in Denmark with GLS, or collect it for free at the vineyard. These six steps get the gift under the tree in time.
Choose the gift
Pick a gift set, a single bottle or a gift card. A PDF gift card is the simplest option if the receiver lives abroad.
Check the age
You must be 18 to buy wine and spirits in Denmark, also online. Our gifts are for adults.
Choose delivery
Choose a GLS parcel shop or home delivery in Denmark. Orders over 999 kroner ship for free.
Or collect it
Pick up the order for free in the farm shop at Vesterhavevej 204, 4736 Karrebæksminde.
Add a card
Write a few lines about where the wine comes from. The story is half of the gift.
Order in good time
Parcel services are busy in December, so order early and check the delivery time at checkout.
Sending a gift abroad
Our webshop delivers within Denmark with GLS, as described in our terms of trade (in Danish). If you want to send a gift to family or friends outside Denmark, write to us before you order, and we will tell you what is possible. A gift card on our booking page is sent as a PDF and works anywhere.
Bringing wine home from Denmark
If you visit Denmark before Christmas, you can buy the bottles in the farm shop and pack them yourself. Each country has its own rules for how much alcohol you may bring home, so check them with your own customs authority. Our guide to alcohol in Denmark explains prices and age limits.
Which Danish gift suits a host, a colleague or a boss?
The right Danish Christmas gift depends on who receives it and when. A host gets a bottle on the night, a colleague gets something small for the pakkeleg, and a boss or a client gets a gift set with a story.
A Danish host
Invited to a Danish home in December? Bring a bottle of Danish wine or a small gift box. Our Danish guide to host gifts explains what Danes expect.
A colleague
Many workplaces play pakkeleg at the Christmas lunch, often with a fixed budget per gift. The gift box with gin and dram at 400 kroner suits a bigger budget. Read about the Danish Christmas lunch before the party.
A boss or a client
The gift basket with three bottles and honey is our most generous set. For company gifts, see our Danish articles on gifts for the boss and gifts for clients.
Frequently asked questions about Danish Christmas gifts
What are typical Danish Christmas gifts?
Typical Danish Christmas gifts are presents opened on Christmas Eve, 24 December, after dinner and the dance around the Christmas tree. Many children also get a pakkekalender with 24 small gifts in December, and the person who finds the whole almond in the risalamande wins the mandelgave. Food and drink made in Denmark, such as wine, honey or spirits, are popular gifts for adults.
When do Danes open their Christmas presents?
Danes open their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, 24 December, not on Christmas morning. According to Studieskolen, the presents are placed under the tree and opened late in the evening, once the family has eaten Christmas dinner and danced around the tree. Christmas Eve is the main event of the Danish Christmas.
What is a good Danish Christmas gift for a wine lover?
A bottle of Danish wine is a good Christmas gift for a wine lover, because Danish wine is rare outside Denmark. Denmark had only 173 hectares of vines in 2022, according to Statistics Denmark. At Vesterhave Vingaard in Karrebæksminde, Sort Lagune 3 scored 93 points from Falstaff, and gift sets start at 400 kroner.
Can I send a Christmas gift from a Danish vineyard?
Yes, within Denmark. The webshop at Vesterhave Vingaard delivers with GLS to a parcel shop or to a home address in Denmark, and orders over 999 kroner ship for free. You can also collect your order for free in the farm shop at the vineyard in Karrebæksminde. If the gift is going abroad, write to us before you order.
What is the mandelgave?
The mandelgave, or almond present, is a small prize for the person who finds the whole almond hidden in the risalamande, the rice pudding Danes eat on Christmas Eve. According to Studieskolen, the mandelgave used to be a marzipan pig. Today the mandelgave can be any small present, and for adults a small bottle is a popular choice.
Is a gift card for a vineyard tasting a good Christmas gift?
Yes. A gift card for a wine tasting is a good Christmas gift for someone who likes experiences more than things. At Vesterhave Vingaard you buy it with an amount of your choice on our booking page, and the receiver gets a PDF. Tastings and tours run from spring to late autumn, so the gift becomes a day out next season.
Jesper Rye Jensen
Jesper is the winegrower and owner of Vesterhave Vingaard, Vesterhavevej 204, 4736 Karrebæksminde. He grows organic wine by Smålandshavet in South Zealand, and his Blå Lagune 2019 received 96 points from Falstaff. Read more about us.
Sources
- Studieskolen: 15 words you must know when you spend Christmas in Denmark (1 December 2022)
- Den Store Danske, lex.dk: Julegaver (last changed 30 September 2024, in Danish)
- Statistics Denmark: Danish vineyards and wine sales (2024, in Danish)
- Vesterhave Vingaard: Terms of trade, delivery with GLS (in Danish)
Give a taste of Denmark this Christmas
Order organic wine, gift sets and gift cards from Vesterhave Vingaard in Karrebæksminde, delivered in Denmark or collected at the farm shop. Or give a tasting by the sea next season. You are welcome to write to us in English.
Questions? Write or call us in English.
[email protected]+45 40 55 77 04Vesterhavevej 204, 4736 Karrebæksminde, Denmark