Nordvest Stories: Pouring Into Nordvest — Nicolai Høtoft’s Journey with Natural Wine

Over a year and a half ago, on our way to a walk in Utterslev Mose, my husband and I spotted a new wine shop on Smedetoften. The sign immediately caught our eye, but the door was closed — probably too late on a Saturday — so we checked the opening hours and thought, “We’ll come back when it’s open.”

Since then, I’ve been back more times than I can count, sometimes being helped by Nicolai Høtoft himself, sometimes by his wife, Sanne. When I started thinking about who could be the first interviewee for my new blog series — conversations with the people shaping the Nordvest community — Nicolai felt like the obvious choice.

We had already exchanged a few messages on Instagram, and when I wrote to introduce the project, he immediately agreed and we set a date to meet at the shop. That morning, Nicolai arrives on the Høtoft-branded cargo bike he uses for deliveries, coming from Brønshøj. He unlocks the door and invites me to peek into the storage space, usually hidden behind a curtain. Then, in a lovely hospitable gesture, he sets up two chairs outside for us to sit in the sun. It is a bright Wednesday morning at Smedetoften, with the background hum of neighbors chatting on the square.

The Past

Nicolai's journey into wine began, somewhat unexpectedly, with a bad glass of natural wine. The disappointment pushed him to explore further, and a little later, a Grüner Veltliner from Burgenland, Austria, completely changed his perspective. “That flipped my world around,” he recalls. Curious, he simply googled ‘natural wines Austria,’ found a few producers, and reached out. One of the first to respond was Michael Wenzel, a winemaker whose approach to wine making left a lasting mark on him. A visit to Wenzel’s vineyard, where he experienced just how pure and elegant natural wines could be, became a turning point.

What started almost as a hobby — importing a few bottles for friends and family — quickly grew. Living near a wine bar in Østerbro, he brought in a few bottles on a whim. The owner was intrigued, and within a year, he was supplying around ten restaurants and bars. From the very beginning, Nicolai knew he wanted to focus exclusively on natural wine. He explains that natural wine feels more alive and energetic — and it makes him feel good when he drinks it. He also set himself a second rule: to work with producers from Central and Eastern Europe, regions he felt were under-appreciated: an underdog. This decision gave his selection a distinctive ‘niche within a niche’ quality.

For years, Nicolai ran the business alongside a regular full-time job, using nearly every spare minute to build relationships and push wine. He eventually scaled back to 30 hours a week in his day job, but the real leap came later. He did not want to “wake up at 60 and realize [he hadn't made ] the full jump.” he explains. With a loyal network of restaurants already behind them, Nicolai and Sanne and his wife decided to commit fully to the business.

The wine shop in Nordvest came about more by chance. Two years ago, a customer emailed him about a storefront that had just become available. When they went to see it, he and his wife instantly fell in love with the space. Soon after, it became their base — their shop, as well as a place to showcase the wines they had poured so much of themselves into.

The Present

Today, running Høtoft is Nicolai's full-time job — something he still considers himself “really lucky” to be able to live from. But luck, of course, doesn’t mean ease. His weeks are filled with staying in touch with clients, hosting tastings, making deliveries, and — as he admits with a wry smile — hearing “a lot of no’s.” With so many natural wine suppliers in Copenhagen, persistence is essential. “You have to be nice and patient, and stubborn. […] Gently pushing them, and making them aware of your existence”, he explains.

Beyond tastings and deliveries, Nicolai also handles the practical side: invoices, payments, and logistics. A few times a year, he visits producers — sometimes even bringing chefs or restaurant clients along to meet the faces behind the bottles. In addition, he offers intimate tastings, whether in people’s homes or at companies across the city. (My husband’s office, it turns out, was one of them.)

Through the shop, Høtoft has become deeply embedded in the neighborhood: Although Nicolai and Sanne don’t live in there, he describes the bond with Nordvest as unusually strong. Since opening the shop, “support from the local community has just been overwhelming” he says, not just with words, but people “actually com[ing] down and support[ing] us”. They are taking part in people's lives, often supplying wine for major celebrations — the weddings, anniversaries, or milestone birthdays that mark someone's big steps. Watching Nordvest evolve has been part of the experience too. When he first moved to Copenhagen, people were already calling it the “new big thing”, but in his view, the real transformation accelerated about five years ago. He credits Behov Pizza as one of the early frontrunners of this shift.

When I ask about his favorite neighborhood spots, he points to Kima, a restaurant that’s been an important collaborator from the start. He admires their combination of expertise and informality, as well as their insistence on fostering a respectful atmosphere — what he calls an “unwritten code” in Nordvest’s dining scene. He also lights up when talking about Goose, a new deli nearby, recommending their “amazing sandwiches”.

The Future

Looking ahead, Høtoft is in the process of applying for a liquor license, which would allow him to serve a few glasses to customers during opening hours. He also envisions expanding the shop, both by adding more storage and creating additional space to showcase wines for visitors. Additionally, he points out Fiskerizakajaen, the pop-up space next door, run by the fish supplier behind some of Copenhagen’s best restaurants. He shares that he would love to collaborate with them, perhaps hosting themed evenings in their venue. Expanding the business and deepening relationships with the wine producers Høtoft imports from are clearly on his mind.

The shop is maturing gradually, adding new offerings like guided trips for clients to visit the wine producers—a concept he recently launched. Toward the end of our conversation, we laugh about another small change: Nicolai has started showing his face on their Instagram account, something he hadn’t done before. I tease him about it, and confess that I have been nervous to do the same.

As we wrap up, I realize how much I enjoy these moments of connection — listening to someone’s journey, hearing about the community they’re part of, and leaving with a promise of knowing each other a little better. Biking away from Smedetoften that sunny morning, I think it was more than the first interview in a new series. It was a reminder of why I love Nordvest: the people who live here, the stories they share, and the quiet pride steadily shaping Copenhagen.