Gala Dinner Celebrates 20th Anniversary of

Philipson Wine in Denmark

By Rob Baxter, European Sales Manager

Philipson Wine has been importing and selling JPV wines in Denmark for the past ten years. The company started 20 years ago when the charismatic Christian Philipson had a posting to France where he developed his palate for fine wines. The company has blossomed into one of Denmark's leading fine wine merchants. In keeping with Copenhagen's acclaimed modern architecture, Philipson wine is known for its cutting edge internet-based marketing and sales techniques and young, dynamic sales team.

As part of the run-up to their 20th anniversary celebrations, I was invited with representatives of other world class wineries to participate in what has become in Denmark an important fixture of the annual wine tasting calendar. During four days in early September we traveled to four Danish cities and presented our wines to the Danish restaurant, hotel and retail establishment as well as the Danish public who came in large numbers to taste and buy some of the finest wines in the world. It was an appropriate occasion for the Danish launch of Insignia 2004 which received praise as being one of the top wines of the selection.

On the fifth day of events we were back in Copenhagen, this time in the famous Tivoli Gardens, which date from 1843, making it the world's first amusement park. I was joined by Bill Phelps for a press lunch and tasting of top wines in Tivoli's Ketchup restaurant, right in the heart of the gardens.

That evening Bill and Andrea Phelps and I returned for Philipson's 20th anniversary Gala dinner, an eight course meal matched to eighteen different wines in flights of two or three, including 2003 Insignia magnums. Such a rare collection of wines presented by winery members and paired with wonderful food proved to be a roaring success amongst the Danish guests.

Should you visit Denmark, JPV wines can be found in the following restaurants in Copenhagen:

Le Sommelier (www.lesommelier.dk)
Restaurationen (www.restaurationen.com)
Restaurant Els, a favorite haunt of Hans Christian Anderson in his day (www.restaurant-els.dk)
Groften (www.groeften.dk)
And Café Ketchup in Tivoli gardens (http://www.tivoli.dk).