I ran the Amsterdam Wine Marathon and this is what I thought (Tip!)

My friends were completely incredulous: ‘You running a marathon, you hate running, how?!’ But when the word ‘wine’ came up — ‘it’s a wine marathon!’ — they understood that this was the most fun marathon ever. At the Amsterdam Wine Marathon, you don’t need to be able to run fast or have impressive stamina. It’s all about enjoying yourself. Wine and delicious snacks. I ran it last weekend and want to do it again this weekend.

The most fun marathon ever

Running through the city with a bottle of lemon water? Why would you, when you can complete a marathon on foot, without sports drinks but with glasses of wine and matching snacks? Believe me; the Amsterdam Wine Marathon really is the most fun and delicious marathon ever! And here’s the best part: you can still do it for more than three weeks, and with the code 50FlavWijnfestival, you can even get 50% off!

Tell me more!

The Amsterdam Wine Marathon is the ultimate opportunity to celebrate the reopening of the hospitality industry. More than forty of the best hospitality spots in Amsterdam* are offering a wine tasting with a free snack through July 19, 2021! And the price really shouldn’t put you off. For five euros, you get a start ticket (called a foodie pass), and at every wine stop you can then choose a tasting of 2 or 4 wines at each venue, with free bites included (2 wines + 1 x free finger food = five euros; for 4 wines + 2 x free finger food, you pay ten euros). A great deal, as I quickly discovered at my first stop.

Stop 1: Truffle Boutique

On the Overtoom, at the recently opened Truffle Boutique, where everything revolves around — you guessed it — truffles, I ordered a tasting of two wines and received manchego with truffle honey for free. What.A.Feast! Don’t expect any chemical truffle mess; no, here you get the real deal: homemade white truffle oil mixed with pure beekeeper’s honey. You dip pieces of eight-month-old manchego into it, and the flavors are a perfect match. Delicious with both the Italian rosé and the Italian white wine owner Lars serves alongside it. And all for five euros! To get off to a good start, we (you never run a marathon alone, after all) ordered an extra glass of the delicious white wine and a serving of truffle popcorn. Heavenly!

Stop 2: Pulitzer Garden

Then we ‘ran’ through the city to the next stop: the beautiful Pulitzer hotel for a refreshing tasting in the hotel garden. Wow, it was lovely to fully recover with another glass; we’d certainly earned it. Pulitzer Garden is truly a hidden gem in the busy city center. Here too, we chose a tasting of two different wines: a white Grillo from Sicily and a red wine from Valencia. We got bruschetta with tomatoes to go with them, which was delicious. We were sitting in such a great spot that we really didn’t want to leave. Another glass, then? Why not — we didn’t have to run a record time, after all, did we? We asked for a refreshing white wine, and the waiter brought us an — as it turned out later — incredible Albariño from Rías Baixas in Spain.

Stop 3: Bar Pif

We decided beforehand that three stops in one day should be doable, so come on, tie your shoelaces and keep going! Via the Nine Streets, we walked to the Jordaan. That’s where Bar Pif is located. ‘We’re here for the wine marathon!’ we called out enthusiastically, after which we were welcomed with a huge bottle of white wine. En Vrac is a white wine made from Riesling and Sylvaner grapes in Alsace. ‘We like serving magnums here,’ the cheerful sommelier tells us. ‘Wines develop beautifully in large bottles, and it also looks impressive on the table.’ No kidding — this is another fantastic wine! A bitterballen with it, a sip, a bite: this is pure enjoyment! Here too, you can order another glass or something extra to eat for an additional charge. And believe me, you’ll definitely want another glass of this wine!

After Pif, we’re out of energy. We’ll continue running tomorrow! Want to join in too? Sign up at Amsterdam.Restaurant. Don’t forget your discount code!

*Participating venues include: Satchmo, Elkaar, Mana Mana, Brasserie Ambassade, Borrl Kitchen, Truffle Boutique, Alex + Pinard, NENI, No Rules, Slagerij de Beurs, Spanjer en van Twist, 505, Hummus bistro D&A, Bar Pif, Pulitzer Garden, PizzaLab, Floor17, Bambino bar.

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