Hof van Twente Wijn: Dutch wine at its best

Twente Wijn
Twente Wijn

Food and Drink Heroes of Enschede #4

I happened upon Hof van Twente Wijn quite by accident one cold February afternoon as I decided to take the scenic route home after an unsuccessful house-viewing, a story for another day. As you drive into Bentelo, a small Dutch village in the rich, green Twente countryside, the landscape transforms as row upon row of beautiful vines stretch across the horizon.

Ilse Visscher, co-owner of Hof van Twente Wijn

Husband and wife team, Ilse and Roelof Visscher were early pioneers in the Dutch wine industry, sourcing, planting and nurturing vines in this somewhat challenging temperate climate.

Wonderfully ripe grapes ready for harvest in mid-October

After choosing German varieties which do not require quite as much sun as perhaps those more common in warmer climates, Ilse and Roelof initially planted 12 acres of vines over three vineyards. Now, over twenty years later, they see an annual production of 25,000 litres of wine with just a little left over for some delicious port. 

Beautifully ripe grapes, all watered using an irrigation system, vital in these long dry, hot summers

White wine varieties:

Johanniter – Essentially a German Reisling, dry and fruity with cleansing hints of apple and citrus flavours.

Solaris – Rather like a Muscat with more complex tropical flavours.

White wine: Solaris and Johanniter
White wine: Solaris and Johanniter

Red Wine varieties:

Regent – Again a German grape variety, which is described as a cross between US Sinso and French Cinsault. A little spicy. I tried a 2018 which is considered to be a very good vintage, so good in fact that the Regent Barrique Reserve 2018 won a gold medal in the PWI International Wine Award.

Sueterie Rood Select – A blend of Regent & Pinstin. 

One of my favourite varieties - Regent - a lovely deep peppery red, perfect for a dark wintery evening!
One of my favourite varieties – Regent – a lovely deep peppery red, perfect for a dark wintery evening!

Both red wine varieties are aged in French oak barrels for between 10 and 12 months

Where the magic happens!
Where the magic happens!
The end of each row is labelled with the wine variety. At its feet, you can find a beautiful rose which serves as an early indicator of possible fungal diseases which may affect the vines
The end of each row is labelled with the wine variety. At its feet, you can find a beautiful rose which serves as an early indicator of possible fungal diseases which may affect the vines
The beautiful cellar which smells absolutely delicious, home to wine and port - aged in oak barrels for  7 to 10 years
The beautiful cellar which smells absolutely delicious. Home to port – aged in oak barrels for 7 to 10 years

Awards

The Awards cabinet!
The Awards Cabinet!

Where to buy and find Twente wine 

Order Twente Wijn directly from the company’s own website

Alternatively:

Slijterij Berendsen: the largest specialist alcohol store in east Netherlands, found in the centre of Enschede, but also online and the subject of one of my previous articles

De Heren Catering: a catering company based in Enschede who aim to offer a total experience by offering catering, lighting, tents, furniture and of course food and wine. At the centre piece of this tailor-made event, whether in your home, your workplace or in a number of various locations across the region, sits absolutely delicious food all beautifully complemented by an excellent wine list where you can find a selection of wines from the Boekelo vineyard.

Streekmarkt Twente: an excellent farmers market held on the first Saturday of each month in the historic and beautiful town of Delden. Stop there for wine, artisan bread, cheese, meat, jam, eggs and much more.

Twente Wijn on sale at the Farmers Market in Delden
Twente Wijn on sale at the Farmers Market in Delden

OR

If you want to couple your wine purchase with some amazing quality meat, you can place an order for both wine and meat from Van Onze Boer an online company delivering meat of the highest quality right to your doorstep. They feature a wide range of ‘wild’ meat, or game: venison, hare, wild boar, roe deer and duck.

Lastly, you can pop along and visit the vineyard, book a tasting session, book a tour around the vineyard, book a room for a party and join them for a meal, or go along to the annual Open Day as we did earlier this autumn and soak up the atmosphere, complete with Dixieland Jazz! This really is Dutch wine at its best!

The entertainment! A little bit of Dixieland jazz from the Concrete Dixie Club complete with some fabulous vocals!

Click below to read about more # Food and Drink Heroes of Enschede

Vishandel Klijnstra – Where to buy the best fresh fish

Hammiehoeve – Amazing free-range eggs

Slijterij Berendsen – All you need to know about whisky, wine and much, much more

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