Wijngaard Dassemus

The Netherlands

"At Wijngaard Dassemus we want to make organic Dutch wines, we just don't want to use chemicals."

Dassemus, an old hamlet

Intrigued by the life story of this winemaker we headed towards the southern Dutch province of Brabant. Dassemus, the eponymous vineyard of Ron Langeveld, is named after a hamlet in the close surroundings of Chaam. The history of this village and surrounding area dates back many centuries and the name Chaam most likely appeared in literature already in the 5th century.

Winemaker Ron Langeveld of organic Dutch winery Wijngaard Dassemus

Not your average career

Winemaker Ron Langeveld studied Theoretical Mathematics at prestigious Leiden University. The idea of pursuing a PhD and locking himself up for a few years with a computer and a lot of formulas was not very tempting. Instead he decided to start working in ICT, writing software for a major telecom company. A good salary, a lease car, a laptop and actually creating something for a change.

He realized soon that he was still only creating a very small piece of a big puzzle. He quit the telecom business and went after his Olympic Dream as he had been canoeing already on quite a high level since his studies. For three years he trained fulltime, but unfortunately didn’t make it to the Olympics.

Johanniter grape variety at organic Dutch winery Wijngaard Dassemus

Dutch winemaker Ron Langeveld of organic winery Wijngaard Dassemus

Sunset over the vines of organic Dutch winery Wijngaard Dassemus

Sustainable winegrowing in The Netherlands

In 2004, the idea emerged to start a vineyard in the Netherlands. There are some obvious parallels between practicing topsport and winemaking. You let the grapes perform at their best all year and work towards the harvest and the final goal, the wine itself. Ron also likes to play fair and wants to approach his vineyard as ecological as possible.

A curious goat at Wijngaard Dassemus

That’s why he made the choice for modern hybrid grape varieties like Johanniter, Solaris, Souvignier Gris and Muscaris for making white wines. His varieties to make red wines of are a.o. Rondo, Cabernet Cantor, Cabernet Cortis, Cabernet Jura, Baron and Monarch. The vineyard now has grown to over four hectares.

Vineyards of organic Dutch winery Wijngaard Dassemus

Walking and winetasting

The vineyard of Wijngaard Dassemus borders a nature conservation area and there is a beautiful walking path right behind the vineyard. The area is full of small creeks, so don’t forget your boots! Combine a good walk with a tour and tasting at the winery and enjoy some local cheese. Wines can be purchased in the bottle shop. Make sure you contact the winery beforehand.

Domaine d'Heerstaayen

In the valley of the river Mark, on the border with Belgium, is where vineyard Domaine d’Heerstaayen is situated. As early as in 1979 the construction of a vineyard was started here. Much knowledge about viticulture was not available by then in the Netherlands.

Wijnhoeve De Kleine Schorre

With its 10 hectares, Winery De Kleine Schorre is one of the largest vineyards in the Netherlands. In 2001 the construction of the vineyard began, and in collaboration with the Luxembourg wine company Cep d'Or, a choice was made for classic white grape varieties.

Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom

In the village Hurwenen, located in the region Bommelerwaard, in between the rivers Maas and Waal, you find Wijndomein Oude Waalstroom. In this vineyard they produce quality wines in an organic, traditional and sustainable way.