Guess what? The winemaker’s lunch is back by popular demand! That’s what de Dyck, a super popular restaurant in Woubrugge, announced. It was an awesome Sunday winemaker’s lunch with wines from Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom and Huib Overmars; the winemaker dropped by to chat about their wines. Each course was paired with a wine from their vineyard. VinoVonk was invited to join this lunch to learn more about the wines and de Dyck. Thanks a lot for the invitation. We’re here to tell you all about it, especially the stories behind the bottles from Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom, an organic winery from Hurwenen in the Netherlands.
Wine up Oude-Waalstroom @ de Dyck
The location of the winemaker’s lunch
We went to this awesome spot just outside Amsterdam in Woubrugge called de Dyck. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but a “dyck” in Dutch also means a dike to hold back water. And yep, de Dyck is right on a dike. It’s super green, and they have their own farm where they grow all their veggies organically. They’ve got over 100 different crops in their garden, which is about half a hectare (around 5,000 square meters). Each crop has its own time to be planted, grown, and harvested. Every year, the garden manager Janneke, farmer and owner Reinier, and chef Martijn make a plan for the garden. They figure out how much is needed to provide awesome dishes for all the restaurant, wedding, and business guests each day of the year. It helps people become more aware of what Dutch soil gives and what it asks. Enjoying it consciously means being good to the soil and to each other, now and in the future! That’s why they grow everything organically, respecting nature. Christian de Olde, the sommelier, told us that Dyck only serves wines within a 500 km radius. They used to include wines from the UK, but Brexit has made it too expensive for now. Because of the vegetarian menu, he uses a lot of natural, organic, and biodynamic wines to match the perfect pairings.
During a tour that chef Martijn Koeleman gave us, he told us everything about the farm, production, fermentation, and history of the place. Thanks again for this tour, Martijn! They are located on an old flower farm and use all the space they have. There’s a big fermentation room where they pickle lots of fruits and veggies for year-round use. They have pigs who eat fruit and vegetable residues, so nothing is lost. They have their own chickens for the eggs they use. If they can’t grow or produce something themselves for whatever reason, they source it locally with people they have a connection with. All the electric energy they use comes from their solar panels.
This is really the perfect sustainable approach!
The winemaker’s lunch experience
We had an awesome vegetarian menu. The veggies came from their own farm or local sources, were organic, and were super fresh—it was amazing! The wines paired with the dishes by Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom were outstanding. Pure natural, pure fruit! All the wines are organic and eco-certified, and natural, but they are not funky at all—just super juicy, enjoyable, nice, fresh wines with great acidity and full of pure natural aromas and flavors. The menu came with personal tasting notes of the dishes and the wines. So, because of the rules, the wine labels can’t show the grape variety or the year (we’ll get into that later). That’s why all the wines have these funny Dutch names. Anyway, here’s what we had on the menu with the wines:
Menu
As a starter, we had a wine that wasn’t on the menu, but it was a super cool start. This was the “ongetemde witte”, Untamed white is a full-bodied and fruity dry white wine. Thanks to its bottle aging, this 2019 wine was smooth with a mix of fresh and dried flavors. Golden in color, with delicious aromas of red apple, ripe pear, and apple compote with a hint of warm apple pie, hazelnuts, and dried apricots. Fresh medium acidity, rounded, full flavor, with a slightly salty finish and tasty aged notes. The bottle aging has mellowed the wine, bringing out its best. It’s not for everyone because of its aged aromas and tastes. The wine is a blend of Johanniter with the unique flair of Solaris. A bit of extra skin contact brings out all the flavors from both grapes, giving you a lively wine with a rich golden color. Fun fact: de Dyck is the only place with these bottles; even the winery doesn’t have this wine anymore! Now, let’s go the rest.
Chef Martijn Koeleman
Amuse, zucchini
Wine: “flierefluiter” goes great with the zucchini with lemon balm and fresh oregano. It’s savory and fruity and has a little bitter kick from the zucchini. It has a nice pale yellow color and fresh aromas. It is fruity with flavors of pear, green apple, gooseberry, grapefruit, lemon, and lemon zest. It’s dry with medium acidity and a refreshing, rounded finish. “flierefluiter”, Fliers is made from Johanniter grapes. It’s got that crisp acidity from Riesling, and the blend of full fruit flavors with hints of citrus and green apple makes it perfect for a sunny day.
Tomato, asparagus | marigold | woodruff
Wine: “de zon tegemoet”, Chasing the Sun is a fresh, vibrant, and full-bodied rosé. It’s dry but super fruity, made from Rondo, Regent, and Cabernet Cantor grapes. This rosé is perfect for this dish. It’s a fun mix of fruit, herbs, spices, and a hint of saltiness. You’ll taste strawberries, raspberries, acacia, roses, cinnamon, sage, oregano, hazelnuts and walnuts. It’s fresh, fruity, and has a strong rose scent—a serious rosé that pairs great with the tomato, asparagus, nuts, rosemary, and thyme of the dish.
Potato, endive | mustard | pickle
Wine: “geëikte witte” — Oaked white is a full-bodied, dry white wine that blends the standout flavor of the grape Solaris with the smoothness of Bianca. You’ll really taste the fruit you smell, and the acidity and mustard from the dish balance it all out, making the wine’s elegance pop. The aromas and flavors are packed with tropical fruit like papaya, mango, and pineapple, along with vanilla, butter, cream, yeast, wood, coconut, nutmeg, sage, and a hint of smoke. It’s kind of like a Dutch Chardonnay. Made with 3 days of skin contact and aged in 100-liter barrels (some East European and one French), this wine spends 12 months in oak barrels, offering a truly unique experience.
Lettuce, eggplant | sorrel | garlic
Wine: “rood fruit” – Red fruit, this red wine is all about fun and easy drinking! It’s made from Rondo and Cabernet Cantor grapes, and it’s got these elegant fruit vibes going on. Super fresh and fruity with a touch of smokiness and nutmeg, plus flavors like blackberries, raspberries, and black cherries. The acidity is medium (+), and the tannins are just right—medium and really smooth, with a medium (+) aftertaste. All in all, it’s a super smooth, elegant, and pleasant wine. It paired very well with the eggplant, fresh herbs, and garlic.
Blackcurrant, hazelnut | parsley | dill
Wine: “robuuste rode” Robust Red is a bold, spicy red wine made from Regent, Cabernet Cortis, and a bit of Rondo grapes, aged for 12 months in oak barrels. It was a perfect combo with the ice cream of blackcurrant, hazelnut, parsley, and dill. I absolutely loved this surprising mix. The wine has aromas of chocolate, leather, cocoa, plums, black cherries, raspberries, vanilla, nutmeg, a smoky touch, and even some roses and violets. The taste is full-bodied with flavors of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, nutmeg, smokiness, plums, black cherries, and raspberries. It has high tannins, medium-plus acidity, a long aftertaste, and a very elegant vibe. Pair it with a sweet dessert, and you’ll be amazed at how a dry red wine can complement sweetness so perfectly!
More about Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom
Tucked away in Hurwenen, a little village in Gelderland, you’ll find the natural vineyard of Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom. They’re all about keeping things natural and laid-back. Instead of tilling, they just mow and toss in some awesome compost made from pruned wood, creating a balanced, rich ecosystem that’s perfect for growing grapes. The undergrowth is full of different herbs that keep everything in check and give the grapes the nutrients they need to thrive. Thanks to their strong disease resistance, there’s no need for chemical pesticides. This is only possible because hybrid grape varieties are used.
Winemakers Huib Overmars and Lotte Rippen started 17 years ago, and they’ve been working as cleanly as possible without using pesticides or chemicals. They’re also experimenting with making Cider and Petnat. The goal is to keep the whole system healthy. The things you don’t want grow quickly, but if you control them, you also harm the good things you actually want. You need to find a good balance so the good stuff can thrive. Otherwise, you will need more and more interventions.
They use spontaneous fermentation, no starters. Everything happens naturally. They can use a heater near the fermentation tank if the temperature gets too low, but that almost never happens. They work so cleanly that only natural things are on the grape skins.
Winemakers Huib Overmars and Lotte Rippen believe that great wine starts in the vineyard. Healthy, ripe grapes mean top-notch wines with hardly any artificial tweaks. They use natural winemaking processes to keep the wine balanced. They’re all about organic, sustainable, and artisanal practices, working hand-in-hand with nature. This results in healthy vineyards, healthy vines, and healthy grapes. They let the natural yeasts do their thing and keep the natural sugars and acids balanced to stay true to their roots. They keep interventions to a minimum, so all the flavors stay right there in the bottle!
Their commitment to sustainability goes beyond cultivation; they partner with like-minded local companies to support the economy and cut down on transport miles, always looking for new ways to boost their sustainability efforts.
So, because of the rules (BOB and BGA), the bottle doesn’t have a year on it. But hey, a big number on the bottle kicks off with the year.
Winemaker Huib Overmars of Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom
Conclusion
The winemaker’s lunch at De Dyck was a blast! Every part of the meal was spot on, from the fresh, organic ingredients to the perfectly paired organic wines from Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom. You could really feel the winemaker’s passion in every glass, and the peaceful, natural setting just made the day even better. Huib’s stories about the vineyard, wines, and philosophy were outstanding; thanks again for that! We left with a new appreciation for organic food and wines and a big love for Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom’s creations. You’ve got to check out De Dyck and see what it’s all about. Big thanks for inviting VinoVonk. We’re definitely looking forward to drinking those awesome wines again, especially the “geëikte witte,” “de zon tegemoet,” and the “robuuste rode.” De Dyck is a gem we’ll for sure visit again soon!
More information about de Dyck: https://dedyck.nl/
More information about Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom: https://www.wijndomeinoudewaalstroom.nl/
