Bart De Vries

A geographer by training, Bart’s understanding of soil, geomorphology, and climate, important factors in winemaking, was kindled at an early age. But it was his move to Basel, on the doorstep of Baden and Alsace, that really stirred up his interest for wine. Since his studies at the Austrian Weinakademie, wine has been his profession. Apart from writing for several European publications, such as Perswijn (NL), Apéritif (Norway), Metropole (Austria), Bart organizes wine trips and moderates tastings. An avid amateur flautist, Bart is also very honored to be writing the English program notes for the Sinfonieorchester Basel for the fourth season running.

Switzerland

A Short Guide to Swiss Syrah (The Wallis Edit)
ByBart De Vries June 8, 2026June 8, 2026

The question is no longer whether Syrah belongs in Wallis, but what kind of Alpine Syrah the region will make its own.

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Germany

Specialist Retailers Are a Bright Spot for German Wine in the UK
ByBart De Vries December 9, 2025

“Where are all the dynamic, characterful wines from Germany?” Bastian Fischer asked in exasperation after 16 years in the UK wine trade. This year he answered that question himself by opening his own shop. Trinkfluss Wines, just outside London, focuses “on some of the most electric, food-friendly, and downright delicious wines anywhere,” in Fischer’s view. His new venture, baptized with the German word for drinkability, quenches the thirst for Germany’s full gamut of varieties. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer. The somms and wine aficionados who shop at specialist wine stores like Fischer’s may have embraced German wines, but…...

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Switzerland

Alter Torkel: A Window on Bündner Wine
ByBart De Vries September 15, 2025

In a country that consumes 99 percent of its own wine, finding a restaurant that has an extensive Swiss selection is easy, but finding a restaurant that exclusively features all the wineries and wines of a single appellation is rare. Alter Torkel in Jenins, a village in Graubünden, in eastern Switzerland, somehow miraculously fits the bill. It may not be the first restaurant to put wine before food, but I have yet to come across one that takes this philosophy to such extremes. As a balmy foehn and radiant late-winter sun warm the crisp mountain air, the terrace at Alter…...

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Switzerland

Why Is Switzerland Opting Out of the Vineyard Classification Trend?
ByBart De Vries May 12, 2025

One of the biggest trends in wine over the past two decades has been an increased interest in expressing origin. Organizations like the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) in Germany and the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW) in Austria have both shaped and surfed this wave to the extent that their vineyard classifications — in both cases private initiatives — are now being codified into national law. Switzerland has no comparable organization. The one that comes closest, Mémoire des Vins Suisses, was founded more than 30 years ago, with the aim of proving that Swiss wines can age. Does this mean Swiss wines…...

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Germany · Switzerland

Ziereisen Crosses a New Line
ByBart De Vries January 23, 2024February 8, 2024

A Swiss winery benefits from the touch of the master of Markgräflerland.

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Netherlands

Dutch Wine Comes of Age
ByBart De Vries October 18, 2023January 23, 2024

This year, 2023, marks the 50th vintage of commercial winemaking in the Netherlands. The Apostelhoeve winery was the first to take up the gauntlet and plant vines in 1970. Even though the growth of Dutch wine production has accelerated, Apostelhoeve has retained its prominent position. Its wines are allocated to retailers, wholesalers, and restaurants, but only after a personal conversation with owner and winemaker Mathieu Hulst. In the slipstream of Apostelhoeve’s journey to success, a small but expanding — and increasingly interesting — Dutch wine sector is emerging. Apostelhoeve is located just a half-hour walk outside the historical center of…...

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Switzerland

Swiss R and D Chases Winning PIWIs
ByBart De Vries May 31, 2023November 9, 2023

With a third generation of fungus-resistant hybrid wine grapes in development, are we poised for a breakthrough in the spread of so-called PIWIs? Will the quest for an alternative to disease-prone Pinot Noir finally bear fruit? Swiss researchers, breeders, nurseries, and winemakers are at the forefront of this effort. For an increasing number of vintners, traditional grape growing with seven to 12 rounds of spraying annually has become unsustainable. For some, organic farmingisn’t the answer. Because organic agents work superficially and wash off with rain,they must be applied more frequently. This requires more labor and more passes through the vineyard,…...

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Germany · Baden · Portrait

Weingut Blankenhorn: French Inspiration, Local Engagement
ByBart De Vries November 16, 2022November 11, 2023

Weingut Blankenhorn It wasn’t love at first sight for Martin and Yvonne Männer of Weingut Blankenhorn in Schliengen. On a trip to Switzerland in spring 2015, they were initially disappointed by the Gutedel (a.k.a. Chasselas) they found there. Or, to be more precise: by how the vintners they encountered vinified it. But when they ordered a bottle of 18-year-old Chasselas Médinette Dézalay Grand Cru from Domaine Louis Bovard on their last night in Geneva, at the Michelin-starred Le Chat-Botté, they realized they had found the key to making a multifaceted, indeed divine Gutedel. Ever since, Langlebigkeit, or longevity, has been part of Weingut Blankenhorn’s DNA. Their wines tell a…...

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Germany · News · Portrait

German Wines Shine at Restaurant Scheepskameel
ByBart De Vries May 11, 2022November 11, 2023

“When I started drinking wine, wine was French,” my father told me recently over dinner at Scheepskameel, a Dutch restaurant known for its excellent wine menu. He never spends more than 10 euro on a bottle, and rarely drinks white, but that evening he unexpectedly admitted, he preferred our glass of German Riesling to our bottle of red Bordeaux. A few days later, I hosted a Riesling tasting for some serious wine friends. They have accounts with posh traders and their own cellars, which are typically stocked with Burgundies and Bordeaux. They were impressed. But, I wondered, would they buy…...

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Austria · Burgenland

The Art and Science of Martin and Andi Nittnaus
ByBart De Vries December 14, 2020January 5, 2026

Shaping our wines is like sculpting: you start with a rock and you chisel out the sculpture,” Martin Nittnaus, 34, states confidently. The arts are never far away when you speak to the oldest son of winemakers Anita and Hans Nittnaus. Like his father, who dreamt of becoming a musician, Martin never planned on a life in wine. He went to university to study English literature and philosophy. But blood is thicker than water, and this year marked his sixth vintage working the plots his father gave to him and his brother, Andreas (Andi, 31). The Nittnaus estate is in Gols,…...

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Bart De Vries

A Short Guide to Swiss Syrah (The Wallis Edit)

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Specialist Retailers Are a Bright Spot for German Wine in the UK

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Alter Torkel: A Window on Bündner Wine

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Why Is Switzerland Opting Out of the Vineyard Classification Trend?

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Ziereisen Crosses a New Line

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Dutch Wine Comes of Age

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Swiss R and D Chases Winning PIWIs

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Weingut Blankenhorn: French Inspiration, Local Engagement

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German Wines Shine at Restaurant Scheepskameel

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The Art and Science of Martin and Andi Nittnaus

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