AAZ Wines
for the adventurous wine lover
where the uncommon is very common
No one will miss the fact that the average shopping street is more and more dominated by well-known chain stores and that the same fast food chains are also screaming for attention everywhere.
In the Dutch wine sector you see something similar. Look at the shelf of the average super, liquor store or restaurant wholesaler and what do you see? A dizzying amount of wines based on sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and a handful of grape varieties, grown in all corners of the world.
Is there something wrong with that? Not in itself. Is it too bad? Certainly, there is so much more. And there is a growing group of consumers under the influence of, for example, an organization such as Slow Food that is open to authenticity and other taste and smell experiences.
European grapes
Almost all grape varieties, and there are more than 1,300, hail from Europe. A handful of these, the so-called ‘international grapes’ and mostly French in origin, are planted all over the world. In their regions of origin often the base of great wine, there is a reason for their good reputation: a mighty merlot or cabernet sauvignon from Bordeaux, robust syrah from the Rhône, refined sauvignon blanc from the Loire, Burgundy chardonnay or dazzlingly beautiful riesling from Germany .
But is it sufficient reason to plant only these grapes all over the world? Certainly in Europe, where so many authentic autochthonous grapes exist with their own distinctive profile and taste. A taste that you may have to learn to appreciate, but which in the long run can give so much more satisfaction than the umpteenth good standardized industry wine from the famous grape varieties. It is our challenge to stimulate the wine lover and let him or her take the adventure.
Stay curious!
Our search for wineries takes us through on a true discovery route along special flavors and smells. And if we are on the trail of a special grape, we are extra excited. For example, we import a frühburgunder from the Ahr, an abouriou from the Marmandais, a groppello from Lombardy and an ortrugo from Emilia-Romagna. Of course we will not shy away from good wines from the better-known grape varieties or better-known regions. However in that case, we prefer producers who work biologically or bio-dynamic. See for example our offer from the Alsace or Loire.
We are particularly specialized in wines made from grape varieties that occur in the Ark of Taste of Slow Food. Think, for example, of roter veltliner, vidadillo, Georgian qvevri wines, mavrud, romorantin and gamza.
But in all cases, taste and quality will be the most important criterion for including a producer in our assortment. If you think you are such a producer you are free to contact us. However we have only limited space for new wineries and we are choosy and not easily satisfied.
Be curious, that keeps you young !!
Hans Peters
ps. If you are an individual passionate wine lover, go to our webshop and browse through our collection. You cannot order through the website, if you are living outside the Netherlands. However, if you contact us, we can arrange for shipping and sales. So far we shipped to Belgium and Israel succesfully.