Visiting... Stan Beurskens of St Martinus

Dutch wine is on the rise, especially as the quality is improving significantly year on year. Stan Beurskens, owner of the Limburg wine estate St. Martinus, is an authority on Dutch wine. WINELIFE sought him out in the southernmost tip of Limburg, on the day his latest wine, which he developed on behalf of importer Verbunt Verlinden, was presented.  TEXT HARALD KOLKMAN PHOTOGRAPHY VERBUNT VERLINDEN

Wine domain St. Martinus owned by Stan Beurskens and his wife Nienke consists of several plots and is located in the beautiful village of Vijlen. The vineyards of the wine domain are located in the southernmost tip of the Netherlands, among the foothills of the Ardennes. 'St Martinus is next to my birthplace,' says Stan, pointing to a cottage further down the road. 'I've since had the opportunity to work all over the world, but so now I'm back home, literally and figuratively.' At 32 hectares, the vineyard is the largest in the Netherlands. It has been in existence since 1988 and is now run by the second generation of winemakers, a team of 20 enthusiastic wine professionals.

(Z)weaving wine

We meet Stan and his wife on a special day. Today they are presenting their latest wine, which he developed on behalf of Verbunt Verlinden: St. Martinus Cuvée Texere. This special dry white Cuvée is composed exclusively by and for Verbunt Verlinden. St. Martinus Cuvée Texere is made with the grapes johanniter, auxerrois, chardonnay and souvignier gris and has a full-fruited taste with notes of citrus and stone fruit. The light wood aging adds depth and a powerful finish. The name Texere comes from Latin and literally means 'weaving', a subtle reference to textile city Tilburg, where Verbunt Verlinden has been based since it was founded in 1844.

Pictured left to right: Harald Kolkman of Winelife Magazine, winemaker Stan Beurskens of Wijnhuis St. Martinus and director Peter van Houtert of Verbunt Verlinden during the presentation of St. Martinus Cuvée Texere 

Read the whole article in WINELIFE #66. You can order here.

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