Wijngaard De Frysling The Netherlands

"This is our magical world, this is where we do it."

Not your typical wine country

Wijngaard De Frysling is located in a small village named Twijzel, in the northern Dutch province of Friesland. A mainly agricultural region and the only province that has an official second language, Frisian. Water plays a major role in this province. The Frisian lakes are known for their popularity among water sports enthousiasts and the province also borders the Wadden Sea, a unique area and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. At first sight not your typical wine country, but the winery was awarded Best Winery of The Netherlands and Belgium in 2018!

Starting a winery in Friesland

This Dutch winery is owned by Jantiene and Douwe Broersma. Initially it was Douwe who felt the urge to spend more time outside. An article in a local newspaper about a winery in Friesland triggered something and soon Jantiene and Douwe realized they were in for the adventure. Because it can be quite cold in Friesland, they planted relatively newly developed grape varieties. Johanniter, Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Pinotin, Cabernet Cortis and Cabernet Noir are varieties that can withstand the Dutch climate and have a high degree of resistance to downy mildew and other diseases. The first vines were planted in 2009 and a lush vineyard has been created over the years.

Cool climate wines

Because of the northern climate it is hard to produce a decent red wine. The red grape varieties are used to make a Rosé wine, a Blanc de Noir and a Rosé Brûswyn. Somehow sparkling wines have never been real popular in The Netherlands but things are slowly changing. In 2018 Wijngaard De Frysling also earned the honorary prize for "Best sparkling wines in The Netherlands and Belgium”. Besides red grape varieties, the white grapes are also used to make sparkling wines and a number of still wines as well, these are all dry whites.

Visiting Wijngaard De Frysling

Friesland has plenty to offer so we can recommend combining a visit to Wijngaard De Frysling with a stay in one of the many bed & breakfast’s or hotels in this region. Nearby city of Leeuwarden was European Capital of Cultural in 2018 and if we can recommend one hotel it has to be Hotel & Grand Café Post Plaza, located in the former Post Office. We stayed here recently and it’s not only a beautiful, charming and characteristic building, they also serve wines from Wijngaard De Frysling! Post Plaza also has two unique beers on the menu, brewed locally by brewery De Kroon op Leeuwarden.