Kadeau is the underdog of Copenhagen’s New Nordic restaurant scene. But some would argue it's just as enjoyable for its cuisine and warm atmosphere than the reigning (and soon to be closed) champion, Noma—if not more so. It opened on the tiny Danish island of Bornholm, off the coast of Sweden, in 2007. Their Christianshavn location followed in 2011, along with two Michelin stars in 2018, and this year it hit 54th on the World’s Best Restaurants list.

As with Noma, sourcing hyper-local ingredients is key to Kadeau. Meat and seafood are brought in from impeccable suppliers around Scandinavia. Bornholm is also home to Kadeau’s farm and greenhouses, where they cultivate herbs, fruits, vegetables, and honey. Everything not used at peak ripeness is then painstakingly preserved for the winter menu. The peculiar local climate—which is more Mediterranean than Nordic—allows them to grow the likes of figs and mulberries.

Wine at the Copenhagen location is selected by its general manager, Alberto Segade Menendez, from Galicia, Spain. He started out in restaurants in his home country, then worked for several years in the U.K., including at Scott’s Mayfair and as the head sommelier of Fera at Claridge’s. His love of Champagne drew him to the region, where he sommed at both Racine and the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. Segade Menendez then moved on to Copenhagen for a position at Restaurant Jordnaer, before moving to his perch at Kadeau.

Segade Menendez has built a moderately tight list for a restaurant of Kadeau’s stature, with just under 1,000 labels. The food menu is heavy on plants and fish, which suits his preference for Champagne and whites. In a town where the natural wine Kool-Aid is guzzled unquestionably by many, his is a refreshingly, non-dogmatic collection of bottles. He uses the word “conscious” to describe what he looks for in farming and winemaking. Whatever the method, wines at Kadeau need to be stable—surprisingly, this is not a requirement at more famous restaurants in town. Recently, Segade Menendez walked me through the brilliant lesser-known bottles on his list that many overlook. 

2021 Domaine Philippe Tessier Cour-Cheverny (600kr/$89)

We are actually serving this now on the wine pairing. It's one of my favorite hidden gems lately, my “go-to” wine. This wine is from the Loire Valley, where most people tend to put their focus on Chenin Blanc at the moment. But there are a lot of different grape varieties, like the red Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis. 

In the area of Touraine is the sub-appellation Cheverny, where you have the one I really like: Romorantin. Many of the versions featured in the salons and wine fairs these days people are doing more skin maceration, but here you have Domaine Tessier doing something more clean. In the heart of the appellation is Cour-Cheverny, or the “heart of Cheverny”—the wines are just stunning.

It’s so versatile. You can have it with fish, you can have it with light meat, like chicken—we have it on the pairing with a mackerel tartlet, and an oyster dish with green peas. (Which is notoriously hard to pair with.) 

Everyone loves it because it's something new, something different, but still you have very universal aromas. It's not something that will throw you off—it's things you’ve already tasted before, but it's all mixed in this interesting wine from an interesting grape. There are no more than 150 hectares of it left, so it's also quite obscure. 

2019 Domaine U Stiliccionu “Antica” Ajaccio (750kr/$110)

Corsica has very interesting wines. Their native grape varieties have adapted very well to the warm Mediterranean climate. You can still find light and fresh wines to have on a warm summer day.  

This is a blend of Sciacarello, Nielluccio, and Grenache. An example of a delicious light red wine with vibrant acidity and a soft, velvety texture. The finish is long, with touches of spice and herbaceous complexity. Great with food as on its own. I recommend having it slightly chilled.

2021 M. Antonio de la Riva Cambre Vino de Pasto (900kr/$130)

Of course wines from Spain are very important to me. Wines from Jerez are not so obscure, but I think they‘re coming back. Everyone goes on about the oxidative wines of the Jura and elsewhere. With sherry you have minerality, saltiness, so many things to play around with, especially with a tasting menu. 

I find this especially true of Manuel Antonio de la Riva wines—Manto for short. This is a pet project of Ramiro Ibáñez and his business partner Willy Pérez. They took over the Pérez’s family winery when his father died and the rest of the family could not continue on their own. Ramiro had been working at a large local co-op. He went on to found Cota 45, a line of unfortified sherry, before going into business with Pérez. Now they continue their exploration of pagos—single vineyards—and the traditional ways of making the wines. 

2021 Domaine Lajibe Serres-Sèques Jurançon Sec (1100kr/$163)

Jurançon, in the southwest of France, is very underrated. People go for its sweet wines straight away, but there are great examples of dry wines. Lajibe was started by an ex-professor, who studied in the southwest and started this as a project with his students. It has now become something famous among those in the know. There are not a lot of bottles in Copenhagen, so it's not very easy to find, but they are really good dry wines, and also age really well. 

This is a wine that is usually only ordered through a sommelier recommendation. But it is something that if you are into wine and you go through the wine list, certain people will ask about it. If someone orders this bottle, you know you can start a conversation, because you know they know about wine. No one is asking because of the pricing—it's a little too obscure even with a good price tag. It's because you actually know about the potential in Southwest France.

NV Antoine Bouvet “Les Monts de la Vallée” Champagne Extra Brut (1200kr/$178)

I drink a lot of Champagne, and I use it in a lot of our pairings. It's a region  that is really exploding with new producers. It started 20 years ago with the generation of Anselme Selosse, then the disciples: Bérêche, Prévost, Savart, etc. Now the new generation are starting to make their own wines. 

Antoine Bouvet is one of the best. He took over from his grandfather since his parents didn’t want any part of it. He started by just going on the weekends, decided he really liked it so it ended up feeling like he had no choice. Antoine took over when he was just 20 years old, in 2011, with 2012 his first vintage release, already very good. I’ve known him since the beginning. I used to go almost every weekend to visit, which allowed me to see the evolution he’s had. 

His vineyards are in the beginning of the Vallée de la Marne, with the winery in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. He makes a few different cuveés, but Les Monts de la Vallée—the Pinot Noir-based blanc de noirs—has always been one of my favorites. The wines hit just a little different. They are really cool, they are very good, and I appreciate what he does.