Learning about wine

August 7, 2025

At the end of April, the time had come: the Master of Wine introductory course in Germany. It had to happen sometime. Somewhere in the past ten years, the seed was planted. Master of Wine, the ultimate goal. It always...

BBQ recept: bavette met asperges en gepofte aardappelen

August 6, 2025

BBQ recipe: bavette with asparagus and baked potatoes

Every time the barbecue is lit, I think back to a few years ago in France. During a winery visit, I was served a piece of bavette, straight from the fire. Perhaps the sun and the atmosphere contributed, but it...

July 12, 2025

6 wines you want to drink now

Eric Asimov, the wine writer for The New York Times, published a great article last week: 20 Wines to Drink Right Now . What they have in common? They're light, fresh wines with lower alcohol and low tannins. Exactly my...

Cheesecake met pecannoten en karamel en Moscatel de Setúbal

July 10, 2025

Cheesecake with pecans and caramel and Moscatel de Setúbal

A few weeks ago, I hosted a wine tasting in Portugal – naturally, with Portuguese wines taking center stage. I had a Moscatel de Setúbal 10 anos in mind for the final wine, to highlight Portugal's other fortified wine. Oxidative...

Wat je nog niet wist over Ribera del Duero

June 26, 2025

What you didn't know about Ribera del Duero

Winemaking in Ribera del Duero dates back to the Middle Ages. Rules for wine production were established as early as 1295. The modern era, however, began in 1859, when Eloy Lecanda founded the estate in Valbuena del Duero that would...

Nadien volgde de Ribera del Duero Educator Course

June 26, 2025

Afterwards he completed the Ribera del Duero Educator Course

At the end of May, I was invited by DO Ribera del Duero to get to know the area better. Not a general press trip, but the Ribera del Duero Educator Course . It was fun, but I can't deny...

June 23, 2025

A wine lover in Armenia

No one ever asks for Armenian wine at the liquor store. Wine snobs often remember that the oldest winemaking discoveries originate from the Caucasus, but drinking Armenian wine these days? No, that's not the most obvious choice ever. And honestly,...

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Wijnspijs: buikspek, coquille en zoetzure mango

June 23, 2025

Wine and food pairing: pork belly, scallop and sweet and sour mango

When I first tasted a piece of pork belly, I knew I'd found my ultimate guilty pleasure. I wanted to incorporate it into my "all-out" cooking evening for the loyal group of friends at Le Club des Vins. I still...

June 20, 2025

A look inside Bindges Wines

The week before Easter, WINESTABRAM went on a "buying trip" to the Mosel region. One of the estates we visited was that of the young Christiaan Bindges. I met Christaan a few years ago at the Railway Museum in Utrecht,...

May 30, 2025

Second place at the 2025 Dutch Blind Tasting Championships

Last Sunday, the Dutch Blind Tasting Championship was back on the agenda. If you mention this to someone outside the wine world, it's bound to get a laugh. Does the Dutch Blind Tasting Championship exist? Absolutely, and it's more popular...

May 12, 2025

On to Chile

For years, I've dreamed of seeing the Andes with my own eyes. That dramatic mountain range that separates Argentina and Chile seems spectacular. This year, that dream seems to be coming true, because I'm going on a trip with Bottlez....