With an impressive score, Berry Marinussen, Maarten Drop, Liselotte Brouwers and Peter van den Besselaar won the NK Blindproevening. The Brabantse Wijnsociëteit participated with no fewer than three teams in this year's finals of the NK Blindproevening and with a first, third and fourth place, this tasting society confirms that they are among the best wine tasters in the Netherlands.
Text: Fred Nijhuis | Image: Ingrid Driessen
They meet every Tuesday evening for tasting and for years this has proved to be an excellent basis for top performances. After silver medals at the National Championships in 2024 and 2022, team 1 of the Brabantse Wijnsociëteit now took the top prize, a wonderful achievement by this highly experienced and highly skilled team. Brabantse Wijnsociëteit 2 could not prolong its title from 2024, but can look back on a very successful final with a well-deserved bronze medal.
Silver
Reserve champion (and thus silver) became team Extra Brut, after victories in 2022 and 2021, bronze medals in 2024 and 2019 and a 4th place at the World Cup in 2022. The craftsmanship of these professionals from the Dutch wine trade has been impressing for years and with their second place at the 2025 NK, they once again commanded a lot of respect, the jury with Magda van der Rijst, Charlotte van Zummeren and Fred Nijhuis observed.
Share
The NK Blind Tasting is an event where professional and private participants share and test their knowledge, experience and passion. This is not just about the pursuit of 'eternal fame', but also the battle for covetable prizes. The grand prize of €3000 is made possible by premium partners Le Vin en direct, SDEN and Wine in Moderation.eu, the latter in cooperation with the Royal Association of Wine Traders. In addition, several partners and friends of the NK provided additional prizes, such as Le Vin en direct, The Wine Academy, Coravin, Rioja & Symington's and the Alliance Gastronomique. JRE Netherlands surprised with a bottle of Champagne from Laurent-Perrier and a voucher for a fully catered dinner for 2 at one of their members: a gift that was received with great enthusiasm and appreciation! Very grateful we are for the support of Landgoed Dijnselburg, a fine venue for the NK.
Enjoy
During the ongoing programme, the teams were able to recover from all the efforts and enjoy culinary mouthwatering provided by restaurant Céline from Nieuwegein, various Croatian wines thanks to Dijana Grgic from Vinum.In, game products from Thijs Jansen, wines from Ribera del Duero, cheese from Kaasfort Amsterdam, bread from Bakkerij Carl Siegert and wine via Catawiki. Before, during and after the match, water from SanPellegrino and AcquaPanna was available everywhere, while Arditi served espresso as well as the Calabrian liqueur Vecchio Amaro del Capo. General support was provided by Mis en Place and sound was provided by Moonlight Audio from Zaltbommel. Very special was the thunderous applause for Ingrid Driessen during the award ceremony. Not only her professional photographic work is highly appreciated, but also her enthusiasm and personality. She always manages to capture everyone's commitment, involvement and fun perfectly.
Goodie bag
After the NK, all participants went home with new experiences, memories and a 'goodie bag' with varying contents, including a bottle of Mergel Wit from the Stadsbrouwerij Maastricht, a voucher from Catawiki, waiter's knives from the German Wine Institute, a Perswijn, guides from the JRE and Gault-Millau and books by Mariëlle Beukers, Corné van Nijhuis, Peter Klosse and Fred Nijhuis.
WORLD CUP 2025
The Brabant Wine Society 1 will defend the Dutch honour at the World Cup on 4 October 2025, this year at Le Fort des Rousses in the Jura, stylishly dressed in collaboration with Modehuis OGER in association with Le Vin en direct.
The result:
- BRABANTSE WINE SOCIETY 1 (152 points)
- Berry Marinussen
- Maarten Drop
- Liselotte Brouwers
- Peter van den Besselaar - EXTRA BRUT (120 pnt)
- Juliette Zandbergen
- Maxime Zandbergen
- Jesper Moonen
- Nadien de Visser
- Kim Bruggink - BRABANTSE WINE SOCIETY 2 (115 pts)
- Eric Hoepelman
- Martijn de Groot
- Willem Jan Withagen
- Rob van Kalmthout - WINE QUEENS 2.0 (104 pnt)
- Annemieke Vermeijlen
- Valerie Bollen
- Toos Dusee
- Kati Bujdoso - Amsterdam Wine Academy (102 pnt)
- Wouter Aalst
- Goos van den Berg
- Puck Sellmeijer
- Pepijn Diepstraten
- Bas Korpel - NO WORDS BUT DRUGS (98 pnt)
- Thomas Traa
- Yannick de Vlieger
- Sam Schrover
- Miquel Claase - GRAND CRU (92 pnt)
- Bert van Bommel
- Youri Thebes
- Marc Fruyt van Hertog
- Renno Jacobs
- Rik van Nieuwkerk - OLEE (91 pnt)
- Oscar Reitsma
- Luc Linnenbank
- Eugene Mathyi
- Eline Groenendijk - SWINES (89 pnt)
- Derk Jan Kool
- Samuel Feekes
- Maurice Verbruggen
- Joep Ponten - UWPC 1 (87 pnt)
- Bob Rijvers
- Michiel van Woudenberg
- Roderick Blömer
- Oscar Noatschk - LE BOUCHON (86 pnt)
- Danny van Lamoen
- Lonneke de Bruijn
- Coen Pollaert
- Michael de Rooij - PROVINO (78 pnt)
- Cees van Casteren MW
- Dirk Vanhorenbeeck
- Alessandro Matrone
- Hans Meijs - A-TEAM (76 pnt)
- Rien van der Meulen
- Jelle Stelptstra
- Marcellus van der Drift
- Wai Yi Akiko Tang-Tanaka
- Joke Kornet-Broekmans - LA CINQUIÈME PATTE 1 (72 pnt)
- Jeroen Bakker
- Frank van den Broek
- Kaj van Lammeren
- Menno Vis - VINO VIDI VICI (69 pnt)
- Willem van Gaasbeek
- Marijke Jansen
- Stefan van der Steen
- Ton Wouterse - DRC (63 pnt)
- Peter Duijn
- Alexander Renner
- Christian Verzijl
- Arie Smits
- Maarten Theuns - THE GRAPE ESCAPE (58 pnt)
- Melvin Hardey
- Corné van Nijhuis
- Rik Boom
- Michael van Rooijen - LES ROSES DE VIGNOBLE (58 pnt)
- Willem Hellevoort
- Monique Haagmans
- Maud Servaas
- Alexander Boersen - THE NEW GRAPPE (52 pnt)
- Yvonne Zohar
- Stefan Boer
- Eric de Kievit
- Caroline de Cocheret - PERSTAFEL ( 107 pnt)
- Kazumi Uejo
- Angelique Meulendijks
- Dijana Grgic
- Natacha Salaji
- Sjoerd Kist
The wines:
- Champagne, Vollereux, Blanc de blanc, 2014
A great start to the competition and well pointed by most of the participants. - Schloss Gobelsburg, Grüner Veltliner, Ried Renner, Kamptal, 2022
Undisputed quality wine from Austria's best-known white grape. - Mas Baux, Autant en Emport le blanc, Côtes Catalane, 2021
50% Grenache blanc and gris, traditional grapes for a fine wine with all the characteristics of Roussillon. - Rossi, Malvazija Templara, Monte d'Oro, 2023
The second Croatian wine ever poured at the NK Blind Tasting, this another widely recognised quality wine, but a serious challenge to recognise. - J. Adam, Dhroner Hofberg Riesling kabinett, Mosel, 2023
Adam is a member of the VDP, an indication that the winery is among the best producers in Germany. The wine earned high scores from almost everyone. - Famille Perrin, Les Sinards, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, 2022
Traditional blend with 70% grenache, 20% syrah and 10% mourvèdre from one of the region's most renowned producers. - Hispano-Suiza, Pinot noir Bassus, Utiel-Requena, 2022
All the hallmarks of this intriguing grape, made by a winery respected worldwide. - Glaetzer, The Bishop Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 2022
A fine wine known and recognised by many. - Monte Meao, F. Olazabal Filhos, Douro, 2022
An elegant Baga that won the appreciation of many tasters, even if it proved not easy to identify. - Franc-Phélan, Saint-Estèphe, 2019
A classic Bordeaux from the renowned Phélan-Segur winery of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 4% petit verdot; good for a lot of points with almost all teams. - Col d'Orcia, Nastagio, Brunello di Montalcino, 2019
Top cuvée from a historic wine estate; perfectly recognised by many for its typicity and quality. - Domaine Huet, le Haut-Lieu, Vouvray Moelleux, 2018
Elegant sweet wine where this Loire region always stands out and also provided many ratings and points at the NK.
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