Natural Wine, Summer Beers and Finding ‘Lykke’

Scandinavian Lifestyle

Summer thirst quenchers, from golden to dark

By Malin Norman

Summer is fast approaching and, once again, we will be flocking to bar terraces to enjoy a tipple in the sun and watch people walk by. Excitedly, we will pack our picnic baskets with goodies and blankets for the park or a day on the beach, and we will invite friends and family for barbecues.

A crisp and refreshing lager is perfect for those long-awaited sunny days, but that doesn’t have to mean bland mainstream lagers with no flavour. Actually, there are plenty of lager styles to satisfy any palate – amber lager, for instance. This sessionable style has a nice balance of malt sweetness and hops bitterness – it works fabulously with grilled meats and vegetables.

Golden ale is another great summer beer. In fact, according to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), modern golden ales were developed in England to take on the popular lagers. Golden ales are also called golden bitters, British blonde ales, or, yes indeed, summer ales. A tasty example is Oppigårds Golden Ale, the renowned craft brewery’s first beer and nowadays one of the most popular ales brewed in Sweden.

Another treat to be enjoyed on the patio is Belgian Witbier. Brewed with coriander and orange peel, it has a light and refreshing vibe with spicy, herbal and citrusy notes. Berliner Weisse, with its low alcohol and high carbonation, is also a superb summer style. Often brewers add berries and exotic fruits, so no surprise a Berliner Weisse works really well as an aperitif.

But summer beers don’t need to be straw, golden or amber in colour. A surprisingly refreshing and crisp alternative from the dark side is black lager, or Schwarzbier, with a lighter body than expected and high carbonation – perfectly crisp and crushable.

Malin Norman is a certified beer sommelier, international beer judge and member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.

Alejandra Cerda Ojensa is a Swedish sustainability blogger based in Copenhagen. She loves sustainable fashion, plant-based food, natural wines and music, and writes a column for ScanMagazine about sustainable lifestyle.

Everybody drinks natural wine in Copenhagen

By Alejandra Cerda Ojensa

Scandinavians are choosing to eat more organic, locally-produced and plant-based food – and it’s now spilling over (pun intended) to the beverages, too. The natural wine trend is definitely here to stay.

It was that one week when I worked at Systembolaget (the state-owned Swedish liquor store) a few years ago that I learned about natural wine for the first time. As there is no certification that defines natural wine we could only advise the customers asking for natural wine to read the labels.

While some Scandinavian cities are still hesitant, Copenhagen has been on the forefront thanks to the trendsetting three Michelin-starred restaurant Noma. Today, pretty much all restaurants in Copenhagen offer natural wine.

If you’ve never heard of natural wine, the non-official but kind-of-official definition is a wine produced from organic grapes with as little interference as possible: no pesticides, only wild yeast, and a very limited amount of sulfites. All the additives that make conventional wine consistent in colour, smell and flavour – in order to be easier to sell – are not used. The result is a cloudy, sometimes funky-smelling, absolutely fantastic wine. The taste can range from sour kombucha to a sweet Riesling flavour – and you will find it in every colour.

If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do. As I’m no longer working at Systembolaget I can happily recommend a couple of bars: for a fun wine experience (the bar is quite traditional, the staff are not) in Copenhagen, I suggest a visit to Ved Stranden 10 in Indre By or, for a more intimate experience, Ancestrale in Vesterbro is a good option. Don’t worry about being too hipster: everybody drinks natural wine in Copenhagen, even more than in the wine-producing countries.

Have Scandis confused materialism and wealth with happiness? By Heidi Kokborg

While recently travelling to the Maldives I had a chat with a Russian woman who was deeply fascinated by the Danish word ‘lykke’, which translates as ‘happiness’.

As a Dane, I have naturally always known that we are among the happiest people on earth (at least, according to studies), but I have never given much thought as to why that is, or that this would be even remotely interesting to foreigners.

My conversation with the Russian woman got me thinking about the definition of happiness: Happiness is defined as an emotional state characterised by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfilment.

I think Danish people have an overall feeling of contentment. We are safe, healthy and rich. However, I have also met people in rural parts of India and in the Maldives whose living circumstances are beyond poor, who struggle to make ends meet, yet are warmer and more welcoming than Scandis. They happily invite you into their homes to dine with them, while the kids play barefooted in the streets, and everyone greets you with a smile – something I’ve never experienced anywhere in Scandinavia. These people are a part of a community; they have a sense of belonging and they are deeply grateful for what they do have.

It is ironic because one of the reasons why I left Denmark and relocated to Asia was because I felt that people in Denmark were not very happy. I always thought Danish people were a bit cold and harsh, kind of like the weather.

Now, I don’t know the secret to being happy. But I am starting to think that perhaps – just perhaps – we have conflated safety, wealth and materialism with happiness in Scandinavia. Perhaps there are important lessons for us to learn about happiness from some of the poorest people on the planet.

Heidi Kokborg is a journalist and health coach from Denmark. She runs her own online business and writes a column for ScanMagazineabout health and wellness in Scandinavia. Web: www.heidikokborg.com

A holistic approach to health

Holistica-Medica was founded in 1990 by Arvin Larsen – a health practitioner, researcher, author and lecturer with over 40 years of clinical experience and a pioneer in the field of psycho-neuroendocrinology; a field concerned with the complex interactions between the nervous system, hormones and behaviour.

By Lena Hunter | Photos: Holistica-Medica

Based on the principles of holistic healing, the Danish green laboratory researches and develops homeopathic medicines and supplements with vitamins, minerals and herbs, for healthshops, webshops and private natural therapists.

At the core of holistic treatment is the understanding that the body can heal itself under the right conditions: by alleviating stress and accessing the necessary nutrients. So, in addition to homeopathic products, Holistica-Medica also provides research-backed supplements based on plants that have been used in natural healing for centuries.

“We believe that health is maintained when the individual lives in resonance with the body’s own rhythms, oscillations and life forces. We work from the understanding that the body’s own life force is the greatest healer,” explains the Holistica-Medica team. Spreading holistic knowledge The company also offers a range of professional courses based on the latest research on the nervous-system, hormonal and immune systems, digestion, circulation and genetics. Teaching is based on Larsen’s book Livets Hormoner (Hormones of Life), in which Larsen explains the deep connections between immunity, organ-health and hormones, and the emotional state, or psyche.

We’re often abstracted from bodily experience by the demands of modern life – including emails, phones, apps designed to monopolise our attention – so Holistica-Medica’s courses seek to reground us in the understanding that our physical wellbeing reflects our deeper psychological patterns.

Quality and products With regular inspections from the Danish Medicines Agency, quality is at the foundation of every homeopathic product. All 37 of Holistica-Medica’s homeopathic products are manufactured according to the Good Manufacturing Practice standard.

Among the supplements are the popular chewy Børnevitamun, for children aged four to ten, with 13 vitamins, ten minerals and eight herbs – including nettle, lemon balm, fennel and eucalyptus.

The Midtsvejspillen, for ages 40+, contains a broader range of vitamins, and as many as 16 herbs – including green-tea extract, lavender and turmeric.

Vitamun, for age 11 up, adolescents and adults, contains 13 vitamins, ten minerals and ten herbs, including echinacea and ginseng. All three supplements are 100 per cent vegan.

Whether you’re an individual curious about how homeopathy can support natural, sustainable wellbeing, or a natural therapist seeking advice on holistic healing, Holistica-Medica has the resources to guide you.

Web: www.holistica-medica.dk