Winemaker's Lunch at de Dyck: Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom

Sunday afternoon on a dike in Woubrugge, glass in hand, winemaker Huib Overmars next to me. De Dyck has the winemaker’s lunch with Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom back on the program by popular demand. Each course gets a wine from the vineyard, and Huib himself shows up to talk through what’s in the glass.

VinoVonk got the invite. Below: the stories behind the bottles from Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom, the organic vineyard in Hurwenen, and what makes de Dyck worth the trip.

The location of the winemaker’s lunch

De Dyck sits just outside Amsterdam, in Woubrugge, and yes, on a dike (a “dyck” in Dutch holds back water). It’s green and quiet, with its own farm where every vegetable is grown organically. The garden runs about half a hectare and holds more than a hundred different crops.

Garden manager Janneke, farmer and owner Reinier and chef Martijn map out the year together: what to plant, what to harvest, and how much the restaurant, the weddings and the business lunches actually need. No grand statement, just being good to the soil and to each other.

Sommelier Christian de Olde keeps the wine list within a 500 km radius. UK wines used to be on it, but Brexit pushed them out. With the vegetarian menu he leans on natural, organic and biodynamic bottles for the pairings.

Chef Martijn Koeleman walked us through the place, an old flower nursery where every square meter has a job. The fermentation room runs year-round, pickling fruit and vegetables for later. The pigs eat the peels, the chickens lay the eggs. Whatever they can’t make themselves comes from local partners they actually know. The power comes from solar panels on the roof.

A sustainable setup that holds up end-to-end.

The winemaker’s lunch experience

The menu was vegetarian, the vegetables fresh from their own land or sourced locally. The wines from Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom: organic, eco-certified, natural in the making, but not funky at all. Pure nature, pure fruit, with sharp acidity and clean aromas.

Each plate came with a short note on the dish and the wine. Regulations (BOB and BGA) keep the grape variety and vintage off the label, so the wines all carry these funny Dutch names. We’ll get to the why later. Here’s what we drank and ate:

Before the menu kicked in, an off-card wine: the “ongetemde witte” (Untamed White), a full-bodied, fruity dry white. A 2019 that has mellowed on the bottle, mixing fresh and dried notes. Golden in color, with red apple, ripe pear, apple compote, a touch of warm apple pie, hazelnut and dried apricot.

Fresh medium acidity, rounded full flavor, slightly salty finish with aged notes. Not for everyone, because of that aged side. A blend of Johanniter and Solaris, with extra skin contact pulling flavor from both grapes.

Fun detail: de Dyck is the only place still pouring this bottle. Even the winery itself has run out. On to the rest of the menu.

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: “r_ood 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: “r_obuuste 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.

Conclusion

The winemaker’s lunch at de Dyck delivered start to finish. Fresh organic ingredients, sharp pairings, and Huib’s signature in every glass. The calm of the place did the rest.

His stories about the vineyard, the philosophy and the day-to-day work pulled the afternoon together. We left with more respect for organic farming and a real soft spot for what Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom is making. The “geëikte witte,” “de zon tegemoet,” and the “robuuste rode” are the ones we want back in the glass. De Dyck is on the list for a return trip.

More information about de Dyck: https://dedyck.nl/

More information about Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom: https://www.wijndomeinoudewaalstroom.nl/