Learning about wine
Perswijn 'Le tour de Champagne' – what's in my glass?
For two years running, I've been attending Le Tour de Champagne. I still remember the first time vividly. Dressed in our finest dresses—my fan Hanneke came along—we walked the red carpet at the Amstel Hotel. We immersed ourselves in the...
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Where it's normally teeming with people, I'm now standing alone in the Rijksmuseum's vast reception hall. It's Wednesday evening, and I've been invited by KLM and Activin Wine Group to sample some wines. In August and September, KLM is serving...
Wine and food: I cook, therefore I am.
It's been on my wish list for a while: going all out in the kitchen. In my cellar, I still had a Barolo from '10, a Riesling from '09, and a Marsala from '88. Wines you don't just throw away....
Who runs the world? Veuve! Clicquot!
Let me briefly outline the situation of this – undoubtedly epic – tasting, although the word 'tasting' is not enough, it is a Fine Wine Experience . A big yes, that's definitely what it was. It was raining that evening. Really...
I'm taking you to Paris. The Paris of 1976. I have no idea what the city of love looked like back then, but I do know that Galeries Lafayette was already there. The department store first opened its doors in...
Savage: Simplicity is rarely simple
Simplicity is rarely simple, they say at Restaurant Savage (pronounced Sèvèch in English). They've learned this firsthand, as the restaurant as it currently exists will close on July 23rd. It's too large for the level of cuisine they aim for....
The bottled poetry of Marcel Deiss
This year, 2017, I was first introduced to Marcel Deiss . I'd heard about him, but never really delved into him. When I did, it turned my world upside down for a moment. Marcel Deiss (or rather, grandson Jean-Michel Deiss and...
A wine fan in Lisbon: 24 hours!
24 hours in Lisbon – what are we going to do? Last Thursday, I arrived at Lisbon airport around three o'clock, where Chantal was already waiting for me. We jumped in a taxi to the city center. We quickly dropped...
Inside view of Castello di Brolio
When I first tasted Sangiovese a few years ago, my curiosity was immediately piqued. Yet, I never got around to visiting the region where this super grape originates. That wouldn't happen again this year. Tuscany, here I come! But not...
While two years ago I'd go to every party, this year it felt like I'd never even heard the word FOMO. In 2016, I had only one goal: to expand the club. It started with registering Le Club des Vins...
It's 7:30 PM on a Tuesday evening, and I walk into Wijnhandel Peeters. I'm here for the first lesson of my new wine course: WSET Advanced Level 3. Perhaps not entirely by the book: first get your SDEN-3 certificate and...
The forgotten grapes of Champagne
The members of Club des Vins are now trained to recite the three Champagne grapes at any given moment: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Until one of them gently but firmly points out to me that many more grapes...