How we fell in love with Dutch wine again.
Last summer, armed with sunscreen and far too much enthusiasm, we drove towards Zeeland. Our destination: De Kleine Schorre. A vineyard we already knew well from the bottle, but had never seen up close. And let's be honest: if you so often claim that Dutch wine is underestimated, you occasionally have to verify your own words.
During the tour, one thing immediately became clear: Dutch wine is anything but a gimmick. It’s not a 'nice extra', not a joke, not a little experiment in a cold climate. It’s serious craftsmanship. And De Kleine Schorre is perhaps the best example of this.
A history with character
De Kleine Schorre has existed since 2001. That sounds young for a vineyard, but the energy built up over twenty years feels as if they have been around for generations. It started as an ambitious plan: to create a Zeeland wine that matches everything that characterises Zeeland: fish, crustaceans and shellfish, salinity, freshness, purity.
And the best part? They have not only achieved this, but even surpassed it.
During the tour, we heard stories about the soil, about the fresh sea breeze that sweeps through the vines, about the grape varieties specifically chosen to excel in the Dutch climate: Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Rivaner, and Auxerrois. Not the most flamboyant grapes, but varieties that reward elegance and purity.
As we walked among the grapes, we noticed that every step of the vineyard told a story. About passion, about craftsmanship, about daring. And perhaps most of all, about pride.
What comes out of the cellar today
At De Kleine Schorre, you don't taste any haste. Every wine feels carefully crafted, as if it was observed for hours before it was allowed into the bottle. The wines are fresh and pure, but never simple. They have that layering you would normally only expect in quality Burgundian wines, but with a Dutch twist.
Our favorite remains the Pinot Gris & Pinot Blanc Barrique. A wine with so much elegance that you almost forget it's from our own soil. Ripe, soft, creamy, but with that delicate freshness that makes you keep raising the glass without thinking about it. This is Dutch wine at a high level.
But perhaps what is most impressive is how different the wines are from each other. From crisp and mineral to soft and subtly spicy. Wines that pair well with oysters, fish, mussels, or simply a summer evening where you try to act grown-up, while asking three times if anyone wants a top-up.
Why De Kleine Schorre is so good
What stuck with us is that everything here is just right. The soil, the climate, the grapes, the people. It's a place where nature and the winemaker complement each other as if it was always meant to be.
Dutch wine sometimes still has a kind of "need to prove itself": people expect little of it, and then they are surprised. But De Kleine Schorre makes wines that don't surprise because they are Dutch, but because they are simply incredibly good. Period.
And there we stood, in the middle of the summer sun, sipping a glass that had just come out of the cellar, and thought: More people should know about this. This should be celebrated. This belongs in the Cave.
Back to Delft with a trunk full
After the tour, we left with cheeks a little redder than when we arrived, a boot where space had become an illusion, and above all: a renewed love for Dutch wine.
Because if you make such quality in the Netherlands, you might as well be a bit chauvinistic now and then.
So if you ever doubt whether Dutch wine is "worth it"... go to De Kleine Schorre. Walk among the vines, listen to the stories, taste what they produce. You'll understand then.
And us? We pour, and especially drink, it with pride.
