Wine tasting can be a fun thing and the reason for a real party event.
What is the recipe for a cool wine festival? A hip location, cool wine makers, and a wine merchant taking care of the logistics. That’s all you need to turn a wine tasting afternoon into a party attracting wine experts, wine friends and those who want to become such. All this happened in real life on a cold and foggy winter Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam.
The wine merchant was Rebell Wines. The company runs some wine stores and a wine bar focused mainly on natural wines. They invited some of the wine makers they represent in their stores from Germany, France, Czech and Luxembourg. The event took place in the location of the pizzeria Radio Radio. The restaurant is located in the Westergasfabrik. This former industrial area located in the Westerpark has been transformed into a recreational area with restaurants and shops.
The name of the event was Gut Gout which means good taste in a combination of Dutch and French language. The tasting glasses where included in the entrance fee as well as a slice of (delicious) pizza and naturally all the available wines. The experience of taste was extended by DJs mixing a chilled but vibrant music making people almost dance but not distracting too much from the tasting possibilities.
The wine makers at cite where fitting perfectly into the international atmosphere and flair of the city of Amsterdam. We started with the very traditional wine region “Alsace” in the east of France with not so traditional funky Rieslings and Silvaners. Later, for instance, approaching a German wine estate the owner turned out to be Argentinian. Similarly, another German estate was represented by a guy from New York. How nice to see how this scene becomes more and more international. Mixing wine styles, wine making techniques and production know how from all over the world.
The event finished in the late afternoon. Guests could join the staff and the winemakers for a after party in the wine bar run by the operator of the wine tasting. A nice opportunity to get in touch with the wine makers in a more personal setting – tim for discussions, more wine and a cozy winter evening.
So don’t hesitate to take something assumed old fashioned and turn it into an attractive event. Preserve the quality but spice it up a little bit with new ideas and concepts and you will be surprised about the success you can have. This is how a vibrant fest culture can be preserved and enriched by a modern zeitgeist, what a “Gut Gout”.
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