Anonymous
2018 First Place Winner of the Second Annual Solvang Julefest Gløgg Contest is the Wandering Dog Wine Bar. Pictured are co-owners Charles and Jody Williams and staff Nina Rose Lindsay and Chris Bowyer proudly displaying their certificate and custom chocolate “Gløgg Clog” (created by Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolates of Solvang).
Source: Julefest
Solvang, known as “California’s Denmark” held the second annual “Gløgg Contest” during the 2018 Solvang Julefest Wine & Beer Walk Skål Stroll on December 15 & 16. Popular in Denmark around the Christmas holidays, Gløgg is loosely defined as mulled, spiced wine and usually contains red wine, orange rind, cinnamon, raisins, blanched almonds, cardamom, cloves and honey as well as aquavit, rum or brandy in varying combinations.
Solvang CVB Special Programs Manager Daniel Lahr revealed, “The 2018 Skål Stroll welcomed a record-breaking 550 guests who completed 187 ballots to vote for their favorite Solvang Gløgg. Thanks to all 18 wineries, tasting rooms and breweries who participated in the Skål Stroll; and special thanks to these nine that offered an extra taste of Gløgg along with their regular offerings: Cali Love, Casa Cassara, D. Volk Winery, Lions Peak, Lucky Dogg, Mad & Vin at The Landsby, Royal Oaks, Sort This Out Wine Cellars and Wandering Dog Wine Bar. It was a very close vote and congratulations to the 2018 winners!”
- First Place: Wandering Dog Wine Bar, 1539-B Mission Drive
- Second Place: Sort This Out Cellars, 1636 Copenhagen Drive (*Winner of the 2017 Solvang Gløgg Contest)
- Third Place: Mad & Vin at The Landsby, 1576 Mission Drive
2018 Solvang Julefest (pronounced Yule-Fest and meaning Christmas Festival in Danish) happens from December 1, 2018 through January 6, 2019. The free Solvang Christmas Tree Burn & Safety Demonstration will be Friday, January 4, 2019 from 5-7pm and the free Nisse Adventure treasure hunt continues through January 6, 2019. Details are at www.SolvangUSA.com/julefest
Solvang Julefest events are presented by the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) on behalf of the City of Solvang with sponsorship support from Visit Santa Ynez Valley, Chumash Casino Resort and other area businesses.
Solvang was named in December 2018 by Reader’s Digest as “The Best Christmas Town in California” and by the New York Post as one of “The 10 Best Christmas Towns in America”. Solvang has previously been honored by MSN.com as one of the “50 Best Christmas Towns in All 50 States” and “America’s 50 Most Charming Small Towns for the Holidays” as well as Time Magazine’s “Most Christmassy Towns in America.”
