Dutch Wine Masters Abroad

Supermarket wines. They are assessed and described every year. Yet it remains difficult to choose the right one. Supermarket PLUS is now offering us a helping hand. Their shelves recently gained a series of wines featuring a little crown and an orange cap. Under that cap is a fine glass of wine at a good price, made by Dutch people with boundless entrepreneurial drive.

PLUS drew inspiration from the wine list at RIJKS® restaurant. It is filled with wines made by Dutch hands, as an ode to the Dutch Masters in the museum itself. The ‘Dutch Craftsmanship’ series offers four wines of comparable origin. From crisp white to sultry and spicy red. Three from Europe and one from South African soil. What do they have in common? Every single one of them is produced by driven Dutch winemakers abroad.

The orange PLUS cap with a royal crown

White Masters

Take winemaker Charles Loupart from the French Loire Valley. Loupart makes wine there – together with his best friends – from his favourite grape. His Sauvignon Blanc is sparklingly pure and cracklingly fresh. Exactly as a Loire wine should be.

The white wine from Eric Verhaak & Mariette Ras comes from an entirely different continent. Their South African Chenin grapes – locally better known as Steen – taste wonderfully juicy and fresh. This sunny wine is a little fuller and rounder than the first in the series. With delicious, ripe apples on the finish.

Red Masters

The organic grapes of Daan & Elvire van Dijkman grow at the foot of Mont Ventoux. They made the Cuvée Signature – a blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre and carignan – especially for PLUS. An ‘easy-drinking quality’ was their guiding principle. The result is a softly spicy, fruit-forward wine.

The 100 per cent Garnacha 2015 from Louis Geirnaerdts brings up the rear of the four. Together with his wife and biodynamic winemaker Juan Glaria, Geirnaerdts produces wines of varying character in northern Spain. This wine from Navarra is not a bombastic red, but rather an elegant and balanced glass of wine.

At € 5.99 per bottle, that is excellent Dutch value for money

Chef-level

I put them to the test and tasted all four at RIJKS®, the cradle of their existence. According to the website, here you can taste the quality of the museum reflected on the plate. Four courses of Dutch authenticity and uniqueness at chef level, accompanied by a fitting glass. All the wines easily withstood this gastronomic storm. At € 5.99 per bottle, that is excellent Dutch value for money.

Taste Dutch Craftsmanship for yourself & find out more:
Loupart Sauvignon Blanc
Verhaak & Ras Chenin Blanc
Dijkman Cuvée Signature
Geirnaerdt Garnacha