Today we participated in a live radio program by Radio Netherlands Worldwide, covering Dutch winemakers living and working abroad. Other contributors joining the program were author Ger Bouten, Elvire van Dijkman (Domaine de Marotte), Jacob Duijn (Weingut Duijn), Ruud Maasdam (Staete Landt), and Bordeaux wine professor/consultant  Kees van Leeuwen.

According to Kees van Leeuwen, passion and ambition are the main traits of successful  Dutch winegrowers. Because the Dutch have no tradition in winemaking, they are willing to learn and apply innovative ideas in their new environment. Ger Bouten adds that being successful in the wine industry requires competence in grape growing, wine making, and sales/marketing.

The program and accompanying article are in Dutch language, below are links to the article and radio program mp3

Article (Goed verbouwen, goed produceren én goed verkopen)
Radio program MP3

In Temecula Valley the white grapes have been harvested and the picking of red grapes is now underway.
Our grapes were harvested on September 8. The quality and ripeness of the fruit is excellent, however the actual tonnage is lower than anticipated.

Overall in Temecula, crops are low in volume, but high in fruit quality. Nearby Monte De Oro winery reported on their Brix board an actual tonnage of about 50% of their estimated yield for their white wine grapes (Sauvignon Blanc 5.1 actual tons harvested vs 11 tons estimated, Muscat Canelli 5 vs 8, Viognier 10.1 vs 24, Chardonnay 9.9 vs 24).
This is due to a "double whammy" of a cool Spring this year, causing issues with pollination and fruit development (coulure), and an overall cool previous season. The good news -of course- is that fewer grapes per vine provide potential for a truly great vintage. Looking forward to the first barrel tastings!

Wine growing activities by Dutch immigrants are relatively unknown. This is because the Netherlands are not known for its wines. Another factor is the distance, making it hard for for wine journalists to cover them all worldwide. However, there are more Dutch winemakers active abroad than there are in the Netherlands!
Author Ger Bouten recently published a book (Title: Vivre!) describing 43 Dutch winegrowers in France. Some have been there for over 30 years, others started activities more recently. Successful Dutch-owned wine estates can now be found in nearly any wine growing country. Together, they represent a wealth of wine growing experience.
To connect Dutch winegrowers, we recently started a new LinkedIn group, named "Clogs and Grapes".  Clogs is referring to the Dutch farmer traditional wooden shoes (although nobody wears them anymore). The growing members list of our LinkedIn group include wine growers from France, Germany, Canada, Hungary and California.
Link to Clogs and Grapes

Dutch newspaper "De Gelderlander" covered our vineyard on August 19, 2011. The story includes a profile of the owners, Reinier and Monique van der Lee, our previous experience with import of Austrian wine, and our inspiration from living in the village of Groesbeek. With 6 active vineyards and hosting the annual Dutch wine fest (link), Groesbeek is regarded by many as the center of Dutch viticulture.
To read the full article, please follow below links (with thanks to Jeroen Janssen for scanning and mailing the files)

Gelderlander article part 1
Gelderlander article part 2