Learning about wine
Santorini, kouloura & assyrtiko
Imagine this happening to you: you're invited on a press trip to Santorini. The moment I stepped off the plane, a wave of excitement coursed through me. The blue sea, the white houses, the rock formations, and the vines in...
In the Netherlands, Savoie is primarily known as a winter sports destination, but anyone who's ever skied here as a wine enthusiast knows that they produce some fantastic wines. Sparkling wines, white wines, and red wines: you'll find everything here,...
From conversations leading up to this trip, it became clear that few people know the Priorat. You can really only mention this region to wine enthusiasts. For everyone else, it's best to just say "a little bit south of Barcelona"...
2022: Nadien de Visser's top 5
New column in December. Le Club asked wine enthusiasts for their top 3 or 5 of the past year. In this edition: Nadien de Visser, owner of Le Club des Vins. It's always fun to make a list of favorites...
Douro, the most beautiful wine region in the world?
It's perhaps the most beautiful wine region in the world: the Douro Valley. The vines are arranged in neat rows on the incredibly steep slopes along the banks of the Douro River. A sight you can't get enough of. Anyone...
Tasting Cotat at Utregs Wijnhuis
What's so fun about Mondays? That's how I normally feel about it too, but when I received an email from Utrecht Wine House The fact that a masterclass about winemaker François Cotat would take place on Monday, October 31st, I registered immediately....
Tasted: Burlotto Monvigliero 2018
Tasted, November 2022 by Nadien de Visser I've never tasted such a refined Barolo. I think it was only with this Barolo that I truly grasped the essence of Nebbiolo. In November, I visited Burlotto and was given a tour...
Driving through Alsace, you're driving in France, but you feel like you're in Germany. Place names are almost always German, and the many half-timbered houses create a distinctly un-French atmosphere. When I was in Alsace with my tasting group from...
At the beginning of summer, I attended the Alsace Rocks tasting at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The idea behind the tasting was to introduce you to the effect of different soil types on the wine's flavor. While interesting in...
Isole e Olena is located in the Chianti Classico region, more or less the westernmost winery in that appellation. You could consider Isole e Olena a boutique winery: while Chianti is also home to a lot of mass production, not...
Wine FAQ: What is kosher wine?
Last month I interned at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte (SHL) . In the winery, there was a single barrel completely cordoned off with tape. No one was allowed to touch it, and it was quite hysterical. That certainly piqued one's...
A look inside Smith Haut Lafitte
As we speak, I, Rianne Ogink, am interning at the Smith Haut Lafitte winery. And this isn't just any winery; it's one of the famous 14 Grands Crus Classés in Graves, the region south of Bordeaux. This harvest season is...