Evolution of a wine passion

I remember one of my first bottles of good wine. During my studies in Amsterdam in the early 90-ties I worked part time in a medical practice.  As a Christmas present I received two bottles of Chateau La Louvière, I can’t recall the exact vintage but it was either 1988 or 1989. It was a bottle of wine that made an impact because I tasted something new, complex and tasteful that I really liked. At that time, I realized I would be very open to discover more!

Around the same time I regularly tasted beers -mostly Belgian- with friends in our beer tasting club called Ars Bibendi. We had tasted a long list of around 250 beers and we had tried many if not almost all of the available beers at the time. Some of us wanted to proceed with our club and as one of our friends was in the wine profession later on we decided to start tasting wines. From the first large tasting I visited I recall wines such as Sancerre, Gewürztraminer and Macon, all with aromas and flavors I had never tasted before. These tasting sensations really resonated. Though I had really liked the beer tastings it seemed wine had something special, also because of the endless possible combinations with food.

Both the La Louvière as well as the white wines mentioned above for me were the real introduction to wine. And that introduction and experience are still important in my approach to wine today, which in essence is to focus on discovery. If you taste something you had not tried before and you find something new that’s really enjoyable and that appeals to you: isn’t that one of the best experiences that exists?

Would you like to discover some wine with me?

Are you interested in a wine tasting where you will discover and enjoy quality wines, but also learn more about the wine and the wine region where it’s made? Contact me for a private tasting of follow my social channels for open tastings that I regularly host. I am looking forward to meet you there. Salud!