Year In Review
Wine Tasting at Wijngaard de Amsteltuin
Follow Your Dreams
I was not sure what to expect when my friend Elaine invited me to come along to a wine tasting in a Dutch vineyard. I was a little surprised to hear that we were bound for Amstelveen, I had rather assumed we would be heading south towards the slightly sunnier climes nearer the border with our French and Belgian neighbours.
We arrived in good time at Wijngaard de Amsteltuin and enjoyed the welcoming and friendly atmosphere on the veranda, exchanging greetings with more friendly faces that were arriving at regular intervals. We chatted and sipped non-alcoholic beverages. What, no wine at the vineyard? In my mind’s ear I could hear the crusty, dulcet tones of the Dubliners singing “the pub with no beer”. Tieke, our charming hostess, beamed a warm sunny smile and quickly reassured us that wine was not on the menu at this point in the proceedings because it would spoil the surprises that were to follow.
Jan, our host and guide for the day, made the introduction to the tour by welcoming us into his dream. We relaxed on the veranda as he explained how a trip to a vineyard in Tuscany some years ago first sowed the seed of this dream in his mind. This dream stayed with him and he nurtured it until 2004 when he started to make his dream become reality in Amstelveen.
An important aspect of Wijngaard de Amsteltuin is that it is a care farm. Care in the sense that it gives a place to people with physical and mental limitations to find their way back into society. The care aspect was the dream of Tieke, Jan’s wife.
Jan and Tieke were in no doubt that their individual dreams could work together in perfect harmony but had quite some persuading to do at the Gemeente to convince the local government officials that a vineyard was a good place for recovering alcoholics to spend their days! Eventually somebody at the local government understood the therapeutic value and the sense of purpose and well-being that the proposed agricultural activities could provide to a group of ‘care’ volunteers.
The care volunteers tend the flower and vegetable garden as well as the vines. As the grapes begin to ripen, the volunteers are always ready to spring into action with protective nets if a flock of starlings appears on the horizon threatening to destroy the fruits of their labour. Jan had one or two funny stories to tell about the ups and downs of life on a care farm. Amusing yarns aside, it was good to hear that the volunteers can enjoy a nourishing meal there with fresh produce they have helped to grow themselves in the kitchen garden.
So, with a little luck in securing a plot of fertile land from the local Gemeente and no doubt a lot of patience, perseverance and hard work from Jan, Tieke and their team the vineyard is currently capable of producing 3,000 litres of organic wine annually as well as providing a ‘dagcentrum‘ (day centre) funded by local government subsidy for the people in the care program.
Besides the input from the volunteers in the care program, there is a wine scientist on hand to give expert advice and guidance to ensure the quality of the grapes and the finished product. The special mould-resistant plants that were brought from Germany (about 3,500 of them) and planted in very fertile ex-Waddenzee soil looked pretty healthy and, better still, all in a pesticide free environment.
Jan explained the whole process from start to finish, and whilst in the vineyard we had the opportunity to taste three different wines - a white, a rosé and a red. The tour concluded in what is probably the lowest level cellar in the world, several metres below sea. We gathered around beside the French and American oak barrels, peered into the stainless steel vats and admired an 80 year old corking machine that Jan is quite fond of. Not a screw top in sight.
We ended the tour back on the veranda with a glass of our preferred wine. For me it was a significant day, first time at a British Society event and first taste of wine in what seems like ages. I have been recovering for the last 18 months after serious illness. Amongst other things, my life has been devoid of wine for quite a while and, when I look back to the Sunday afternoon at Wijngaard de Amsteltuin, I can’t think of a better way of re-discovering one of life’s great pleasures.
As we said goodbye and walked backed to the car, gravel crunching underfoot, I felt a warm glow inside. It wasn’t the wine. It was the good feeling that comes from sharing a lazy summer’s afternoon with a nice bunch of people in a beautiful environment, doing something interesting that I probably would never otherwise have done. It was the good feeling that comes from seeing two pioneering spirits following their dreams and gladly sharing it with others.
My experience at the British Society event 1st August 2010
By Annette Kelly
Champagne Tasting
After a dodgy weather forecast in the morning, it was a beautiful evening as we turned up at Frenzi Cucina on the Overtoom last Saturday. Elizabeth was there to welcome us, and immediately, a welcoming and welcome glass of Prosecco was thrust into our hands. A good start; we hadn’t even sat down yet and I was beginning to regret coming by car.
Old friends were greeted and new friends were introduced. Soon, it was standing-room only and the noise-level increased. Only a few minutes late, we were led downstairs to the tasting-room. No-one noticed or bothered that we were late; except me. I was taking notes; - instructions from Elizabeth.
When we were seated, a lovely lady called Jaqueline, from Taste and Tintle, introduced herself as our taster-in-chief for the evening. The noise level decreased, - briefly. There were caraffes of water and plates of bread on the tables; seemed quite innocuous and reasonable. Obviously there, to cleanse our palates after tasting and eating. (More of eating later).
We would taste six Champagnes and sparkling wines, explained Jaqueline. Only sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. Wines from Italy are called Fizzante and the rest, just sparkling wines. The wines were introduced
- Prosecco Legatura igt Mionetto, from Veneto, Italy;
- Bulle de Blanquette of Sieur d’Arques, from Limoux, France;
- Crémant de Limoux of Sieur d’Arques, from Limoux, France;
- Cava Brut Rosé of Roger Goulart, from the Penedès, Spain;
- Cava Grand Cruvé 2004 Extra Brut of Roger Goulart, from the Penedès, Spain;
- Champagne 1er Cru of Edouard Martin, from Bouzy, France.
Jaqueline gave us chapter and verse on the type of grape and processes used. Hugely interesting, but a bit too much detail for this little article. Moving on to the tasting process itself, Jaqueline pointed out the bread and water. Our surmisings had been correct about our palates needing freshening up between tastes. She also pointed out the large containers on the tables; buckets. These are for spitting the Champagne into, after tasting, she informed us. A voice, whose identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons, informed her that this was the British Society and that the buckets would not be required. He was quite correct. At the end of the evening they remained completely pristine. The tasting proceeded.
Contrary to expectation, swigging Champagne a glass at a time, is not how to taste Champagne. It’s practically a ceremony to equal Holy Mass. Choose your glass. A fluted glass retains the smell and taste better than the flat bowls on a stem favoured by Hollywood. Check the glass is clean; nothing worse for Champagne than a dirty glass. Look at the size of the bubbles; small and many is good, and they should rise straight up, not swirl. Swirl the wine in the glass to release the flavour, and put your nose in the glass to smell. Take the first sip, savour it and spit it out. The second sip should be mixed with air in the mouth; a difference is really noticeable. Spit out. The third sip should be held on the tip of the tongue with a chewing motion. Spit out. Only on the fourth sip should the wine be swallowed to experience the after-taste.
Not all Champagnes should be served chilled. Serve white Champagne at 8 to 10°C.; pink, slightly warmer at about 12°C.
Details of how the grapes are harvested, the various fermentation processes and how the wine is mixed, - or not, were explained. The several nomenclatures were explained too. To most people’s surprise, sec is sweet, and brut is dry. Extra brut has no sugar added at all, then brut, demisec and sec, which has sugar added, are progressively sweeter. Well I never !!
Unlike ordinary wines, the cru system is not based on the vintage, but on the village. Of the 5000 villages in the Champagne region, 17 may call their wine grand-cru, at all times. 44 villages have the premier-cru appelation, and the rest are simply cru.
In the course of the evening, the most delicious tapas were served, and the bread and water came in useful for their palate-cleansing properties. At the end of the evening, there were a lot of empty bottles - and buckets, and the noise-level reached severely animated levels. By restricting my intake to the designated four sips per wine, I retained my sobriety enough to drive home. I’ve an idea there were some in the company who should be glad they came by tram.
Congratulations to Elizabeth for such a smooth organisation, and for achieving yet another BritSoc sell-our event. Thanks to head-taster, Jaqueline and her helpers, and to restaurant Frenzi Cucina for their hospitality and friendly service. For those who could not manage to get to this event, it is to be thoroughly recommended. Hopefully, Elizabeth can be enticed to organise a follow-up event.
British Society Social Cricket Game & BBQ
A few pictures from the annual British Society Social Cricket Game & BBQ held at the Quivive Cricket Club in Hoofddorp.
