The Netherlands Newest Winery – Wijndomein de Boe in Zeeland

In September 2021, I wrote an article about a new winery in The Netherlands started by the young Dutch man Bruno Suter. Some might have thought it crazy, planting a vineyard and starting a winery in this cool climate region, but the world is full of crazier things these days, and his venture at Wijndomein De Boe is progressing remarkably well!

Join me as I explore Wijndomein De Boe’s development over the last few years including vines in the ground, his thoughts on organic, and exciting results.

Stepping Back to Then and Now – Grapevines Planted

When Mark and I visited the southwest province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, near Middelburg, the summer of 2021, 3-hectares of the 6.3-hectare Wijndomein De Boe property were planted. In addition to almost half of his vines in the ground at that time, a fantastic sunflower field graced the entrance of the estate on 2.5 hectares. 

Suter figured they would be a draw, and he could share his project prior to the grapes being harvestable for winemaking. Grapes are not usually harvested to make wine until the vines produce for three or four years. However, sometimes producers go ahead and make small wine batches to assess early quality. 

The plot of sunflowers is gone and about two-thirds of that area is planted to Souvignier gris, a pink-skinned hybrid grape from Germany developed in the 1990s and gaining much interest due to its high fungal tolerance. Because of that, and its aromatic profile straddling Pinot gris and Pinot blanc, it is quite popular and planted more widely from Austria to Germany and northern Belgium to the Nederlands.

Not to confuse you, Souvignier gris (above photo) is also referred to as a PiWi grape, which is a modern reference, although ‘hybrid’ is still used. PiWi is an abbreviation of the German term “Pilzwiderstandsfähige Reben”. (source)

The remaining one-third of that plot is Muscaris, another PiWi variety. Like the Muscat grape, Muscaris is very expressive having intense exotic fruits and citrus aromatics. Yet unlike Muscat, it has high to very high tolerance to powdery and downy mildew, which can be a problem, especially in wetter areas. This is an important consideration for Suter.

In addition to these varieties, Chardonnay went into a back plot on the property. Specifically, 15 rows of 600 vines in total from which Suter will make both still and sparkling wine. He selected three clones of Chardonnay, each known for different things:

• Clone 121 retains acidity and is known for making great sparkling wine. 
• Clone 76 is also good for sparkling wine. 
• Clone 548 is highly qualitative, producing open and less bunched clusters per vine. More open grape clusters help to mitigate mildew due to increased airflow.

Finally, he completed planting with 2,000 Trousseau noir rootstalks in another area, using a clone that produces higher yields. Hopefully, this plot will help him realize his dream of making a Dutch red wine. However, even though Trousseau noir is considered a cool climate grape, he needs more sun, heat, and great growing seasons to ripen the bunches. 

With the above, as of December 2024, all the areas of his estate targeted for vineyards are planted for a total of 4.8 hectares with the following varieties: Pinot gris, Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Muscaris, Souvignier gris, Pinot noir, Pinot noir précoce, Trousseau noir, and Savagnin (as from the Jura).

Presently, Suter is quite happy with his Savagnin vert and Savagnin jaune massal selection vines (clonal variations). He shared the following about these vines.

“Agronomically-wise, it is a nice plant to work with, being one of the most upward growing vines I have worked with. Almost no tucking of vines is needed throughout the growing season because it grows straight up through the trellis wiring. Additionally, the grape clusters are rather open and grape skins quite thick, which reduces disease pressure.” Bruno Suter, Wijndomein De Boe

The Beginning of Results

Sunflowers aside, during the autumn of 2021 into 2022, Suter brought in a small amount of wine to sell while his vines matured. He sourced it from two wineries where he completed internships during his master’s program: Auxerrois from the Alsace cooperative Cave de Hunawihr and Grauburgunder from Weingut Sonnenhoff in Baden-Württemberb Germany.
 
After these starter wines, his first official harvest was September into October 2023 with 4,000 bottles of an Auxerrois-Chardonnay blend (using half of his Chardonnay) and two single variety wines – Pinot gris and Muscaris.
 
He also made base wines for two sparkling wines with the bottles sent to Weingut Schaufelberger in Germany’s Mosel Valley. Schaufelberger took care of the traditional sparkling wine process, disgorging them in December 2024. The result – 700 bottles of sparkling rosé from a blend of Pinot noir and Pinot noir précoce, and 1,700 bottles of Blanc de blancs, but not the traditional 100% Chardonnay rather a 65/35 percent Chardonnay and Savagnin blend. These, and the three single variety wines are available at his tasting room in Zeeland right now!

Regarding the Pinot noir précoce in his sparkling rosé?

“The red grape Pinot noir précoce was the first of my grapes to fully ripen and be harvested. A fascinating grape!” Bruno Suter, Wijndomein De Boe

Weather – Will the warming planet be on Suter’s side?

The timing of weather events during the 2023 vintage year in Zeeland were near-perfect for Suter’s red grapes to ripen with ample sun and heat. Conversely, 2024 was completely different. Cold temperatures (-1 °C / 32 °F for 2 hours) resulted in frost. Suter dispersed five hundred fire pots throughout his vineyard the day before in anticipation. Ideally, Suter prefers to use windmills during frost events, but that investment is for another day. In total, he lost just 5%. But with a smaller producer like him, that 5% makes a big difference.

With extreme weather events expected to increase – colder and hotter – the effect on Zeeland is yet to be seen. Nonetheless, with a current overall cooler climate, Zeeland offers an exceptional opportunity for crafting bright white wines and lively traditional method sparkling wines where time on lees and a little wood create complexity. And most likely in warmer years, delicious red wine as well. 

In fact, if the 2025 vintage year cooperates weather wise supplying enough warmth to ripen his red grapes, Suter will have a small Trousseau noir harvest to assess early quality. If the grapes look good with a minimum of 22 brix (92 oechsle in Dutch), he mentioned doing a cold soak and macerating them for a few months, a process that decreases acidity in the juice. Then after fermenting and finishing the wine, he can evaluate its quality and adjust vineyard and winery actions as needed. Hopefully it turns out respectable enough for Suter to offer it as a red wine in his tasting room – this would be his first red wine!

Challenges Exist

Aside from the weather, Suter’s main vineyard concern thus far is the spotted fruit fly, which is attracted to dark, and some pink-skinned grapes … the Pinot noir, Pinot noir Précoce, Trousseau noir and Pinot gris. 

The fly makes a hole in the grape allowing vinegar bacteria to enter. Instead of purple or pinkish-grey (as in Pinot gris), individual berries turn light red and eventually shrivel. Per Suter, it takes a trained eye to see damaged berries.

Fortunately, Zeeland experiences minimal pressure from other insects but does face problems with fungus. So how can you be eco-friendly while managing vineyard challenges?

Currently, no product is available to treat vines other than insecticides. For now, he harvests grapes a bit earlier to minimize fruit fly damage. With his red and pinkish-gray grapes, he selects bunches carefully, though some affected grapes may be used in a still or sparkling rosé. It is unavoidable.

On the positive side, the Dutch national agency regulating pesticides is reviewing use of Kaolin, a bio-fungicide/bio-insecticide already used in the European Union but not yet in the Nederlands. Made from the clay mineral Kaolinite, it is sustainable and environmentally friendly. It dries red grape skins, giving them a whitish hue. The hue makes it difficult for the fruit fly to recognize red grapes, penetrate their skins, and lay eggs; it reduces egg laying by 70%. It also hinders the development of the Botrytis fungus. Sounds like a win!

Hybrids Have a Future

Suter is adamant hybrid grape varieties have a bright future. Much more resistant to vineyard pests and disease pressure than traditional varieties, they require minimal spraying by comparison. 

As an example, the hybrids Souvignier gris and Muscaris commonly get by with just two to three sprays per season. 

One small area remains vacant on Suter’s property. If he decides to plant it, it will most certainly be with hybid varietals.

Planting aside, when in his fifth year of vine growth and in full production (2027), Suter expects 23,000 liters of wine (about 4,500 liters of wine per hectare of vineyard), equating to between 20,000 and 30,000 bottles in total. A great deal of this will be from his hybrid varietals.

The Organic Question

The Wijndomein de Boe sales (and future tasting) room opened June 11, 2022. Since then, he is often asked by visitors whether he grows his grapes organically.

“It’s always ‘organic’, nothing else. “Are you organic?” is always their question!” Bruno Suter, Wijndomein de Boe

Suter answers he does not use herbicides nor insecticides, but occasionally fungicides. Growing anything organically in the Netherlands (or any cool climate for that matter) is difficult. Copper sulfate is the one vineyard treatment allowed for under organic farming rules in many countries, but not in the Netherlands. Considered a forever chemical, over time, metals and a blue tint accumulate on the soil surface which cannot be metabolized by microorganisms and become toxic to the environment. (Source) In fact, Parkinson’s Disease is linked to grapes treated with copper in France!  

To combat vineyard fungus problems should they surface, Suter will try a few basic substances used in biodynamic farming during the 2025 growing season to see how they work: chitosan, horse tail and willow extract.

An Unexpected Highlight

Unrelated to wine, a high spot in Suter’s endeavor is the small community that developed around his operation. People came and continue to come and help because they are interested; they want to connect with others, learn, and spend time outside. Extremely gratifying for him, Suter shared he doesn’t feel like a traditional farmer, but a teacher of sorts.

Recently receiving his license to serve alcohol and formally open his tasting room is also a highlight! 

Just before his tasting room opened last winter, we spent time with Suter when he passed through Bordeaux. It is no wonder his community of helpers developed. From the first time you meet him to every encounter, his friendly, open, and positive personality shines. A visit with him is always a highlight for us. I hope you get to meet Suter in his tasting room one day to experience this. And know any trip to Amsterdam would be elevated with a hop over to Wijndomein de Boe!

Sources:

PlantGrape

Aleks Zecevic (2025, February 4). Are Hybrid and PiWi Grapes Climate Survivors? Wine Enthusiast

Wijndomein de Boe Website

For more information on Hybrid / PiWi grapes, head to this GuildSomm article.