Wijngaard De Amsteltuin

The Netherlands

"Wijngaard De Amsteltuin is a place where everyone feels at home."

Vineyard near Amsterdam

Only a short drive from Amsterdam, Dutch winery Wijngaard De Amsteltuin is a great place to visit when you want to escape the hectic city life. The small vineyard of only one hectares is located in a polder on the outskirts of Amstelveen, a municipality just south of Amsterdam.

This polder - a former peatland area - was drained in the 18th century by windmills that pumped water from the low-lying land. In this western part of The Netherlands most polders actually lie below sea level. From the moment you enter through the gate of Wijngaard De Amsteltuin you will be charmed by the peaceful, quiet setting.

Cool climate grape varieties

Wijngaard De Amsteltuin was founded in 2004 and celebrated its first real harvest in 2008. Like many other vineyards in the Netherlands the choice for modern grape varieties that do well in cooler climates was an obvious one. These hybrid varieties need less hours of sunshine per year to fully ripen.

In a country that is not known for its long summers, early ripening wine grape varieties are a blessing for Dutch winemakers. The five varieties that are used in Wijngaard De Amsteltuin are Johanniter, Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Pinotin and Cabernet Cortis.

Owning a vineyard

In 2019 the winery changed ownership and now belongs to Annelies Kruijthoff and Douwe Woudstra. With some professional advice of oenologist Stan Beurskens of Wijngaard St. Martinus and the help of a small army of volunteers they run the vineyard all year round. The harvest is done by hand, the traditional way. That takes time, but the vineyard is too small for machine picking, just like the majority of Dutch vineyards.

Picking by hand also has its advantages as it is a much gentler way to handle the grapes and less grapes will be broken in the process. The crunching, pressing, fermentation, clarification and aging all takes place in the wine cellar of Wijngaard De Amsteltuin. In the end the white and red (still) wines are bottled at St. Martinus winery in the south of The Netherlands and the sparkling rosé is bottled in Germany.

Winery as a social enterprise

The aim of this winery is not just to produce tasty wines, it also gives people (often with a distance to the labour market) the opportunity to work and socialize in a peaceful, enjoyable, green and natural environment. Also other kinds of indoor and outdoor activities are offered like playing games, cooking, crafts or listening to music. A social enterprise it is, that strives to make a difference in the life of others.

Wijngaard De Amsteltuin also offers facilities for teambuilding, workshops, business meetings or just a social drink with friends. And yes, saying “I do” at this vineyard will definitely be an ultimate romantic wedding experience!

Updated: 20-11-2024