Netherlands

The parliamentary monarchy Netherlands (Dutch Nederland and Frisian Nederlân, informally Holland) in WestEurope with the capital Amsterdam and the seat of government The Hague consists of four autonomous countries in Europe (mainland) and in the Caribbean (3 islands). The European part of the Netherlands covers 41,543 km². It is bordered in the mainland to the north and west by the North Sea, to the south by Belgium and to the east by Germany. Together with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Benelux countries are formed.

The three island groups Bonaire (288 km²), Sint Eustatius (21 km²) and Saba (13 km²) form the Caribbean Netherlands and have the status of "Bijzondere Gemeenten" (Special Municipalities). Other Dutch Caribbean territories are not part of the Netherlands but autonomous countries with their own constitution, currency, and government. The head of state is the respective Belgian monarch, who is represented by a governor. These are Aruba (179 km²), Curaçao (444 km²), and Sint Maarten (34 km²). About half of Sint Maarten belongs to France. The only vineyard on Aruba is the Alto Vista Winery, which is operated in a sustainable manner.

History

Holland (the mainland of present-day Netherlands) had a significant influence on the spirits and wine trade in the late Middle Ages. From the end of the 16th century, Holland rose to become the leading maritime power far ahead of the countries England, France, Portugal, and Spain. By around 1650, Holland owned the largest merchant fleet in the world with about 10,000 ships. Alcoholic beverages were purchased all over Europe and shipped to the colonies in North America, Dutch India (Indonesia), New Zealand, and Tasmania.

Likewise, the Dutch were the main suppliers to European countries. The port of Rotterdam developed into a major transshipment point for wine. The Dutch were great masters of distillation and produced huge quantities of Genever (grain wine) and brandy, which were used either neat or as an addition to wine and drinking water. The resulting durability was a prerequisite for long sea voyages. As a result, the fortification of wines such as Malaga, Madeira, Port wine, and Sherry became established. The triumph of Cognac is also due to the Dutch, as they inspired the winemakers of Charente to distill their wine.

When the demand for sack (fortified wines from Spain) and sweet wines rose in England in the 16th century, such wines were imported on a large scale from Spain, the Canary Islands, the Portuguese island Madeira, and the Greek island Crete. This gave Holland a significant role in the development of certain types of wine and acquired extensive knowledge regarding storage, transport, and trade. Due to their special knowledge in this technique, it was also the Dutch who drained the swamps in the French Médoc in the mid-17th century and laid the foundation for the rapid rise of viticulture.

The images show vineyard areas in the province of Limburg; in the left image below the Neercanne Castle near Maastricht.

Viticulture Today

Viticulture has been documented since 1324 in the southern province of Limburg. The introduction of beer, the deteriorating climate during the Little Ice Age, the phylloxera, and the conquest of the Netherlands by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) practically destroyed viticulture; the last vineyard near Maastricht was abandoned in 1946 and then revived on a small scale in the late 1960s. Viticulture could gain importance due to climate change. However, the wine demand is mainly met by imports from Germany.

In 2023, wine was cultivated on 135 individual sites with a total area of 302 hectares, producing approximately 13,000 hectoliters of wine. The wine regions are spread across the country but are mainly concentrated in the southern provinces of Limburg and Gelderland. The wine-growing regions of the Netherlands are classified within the European Union as part of the wine-growing zone. Since 2003, the best wines in the Netherlands have been awarded by the Stichting Wijninstituut Nederland (also Belgian wines).

Wine Growing Areas

There are the country wine areas (g.g.A.) Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, and Zuid-Holland, as well as the two quality wine areas (g.U.) Mergelland and Maasvallei Limburg (cross-border with Belgium). The wines usually need to be enriched.

Grape Varieties

Approved white wine varieties include Auxerrois, Bacchus, Bianca (grape variety), Chardonnay, Faberrebe, Gewürztraminer, Hölder, Huxelrebe, Johanniter, Juwel, Kerner, Kernling, Merzling, Morio-Muskat, Müller-Thurgau, Orion, Ortega, Phoenix, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rayon d’Or, Reichensteiner, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Scheurebe, Schönburger, Seyval Blanc, Siegerrebe, Silcher, Solaris, Silvaner, and Würzer, as well as the red wine varieties Blauer Portugieser, Cabernet Franc, Domina, Dornfelder, Dunkelfelder, Florental, Frühburgunder, Gamay, Landal Noir, Léon Millot, Maréchal Foch, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Plantet, Regent, Rondo, St. Laurent, Triomphe d’Alsace, and Zweigelt. There are trial facilities for others.

Producers

The most well-known wineries are Apostelhoeve near Maastricht, De Fiere Wijnakker, De Hennepe, De Landman, Domein Hof te Dieren, Hof van Twente, Maronesse, Reestlandhoeve, Swolse Marken, Tappenmars, and Wijnstaete.

Map: © Goruma
Flag: by Zscout370 - Own Work, Public Domain, Link
Neercanne Castle: by Pivos, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Limburg: Armin Faber
Apostelhoeve: Apostelhoeve © Hugo Thomassen
Source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Netherlands