Chateau Amsterdam is the first urban winery in the Netherlands, and the biggest one in Europe. We make wine right in the heart of the city, using grapes from several different countries.
By moving the grapes, instead of the wine, we bring the production process closer to the people and the people closer together. We want to share our enthusiasm for wine with free spirits from in and around Amsterdam. In addition, making wine on neutral soil also gives us the unique opportunity to bring all grape varieties, countries and styles together under one roof. This allows us to innovate and experiment with new flavors and experiences. Something that we find very exciting!
We only work with fruit from carefully selected partners throughout Europe. Farmers, families and entrepreneurs who take care of their land, the plants, the harvest and their people. Over the years, our farmers have become part of the Chateau Amsterdam family. Together we determine a number of things: how are we going to prune, how are we going to take care of the land and when are we going to harvest. The timing of the harvest determines the amount of sugars, acids, flavors and aromas that the grape imparts to the wine.
Our Fathers line is characterised by a classical approach and traditional methods. Here all wines are monocépages; each wine is made from just one specific grape variety, resulting in complex and character-driven wines with a true expression of each grape, always with that urban twist and signature that makes it a Chateau Amsterdam wine.
The world of wine is one of tradition – full of rules, dogmas and century-old etiquette. In our Sons-line, we choose to break with this. Our Sons-wines are allowed to surprise and are often manufactured with unconventional techniques. Here you will find our orange wines, wines made in amphorae, pet nats and other interesting winks.
Our Grandsons are easy and light-hearted European blends. Two different grapes from two different countries are mixed together in one and the same bottle. The blends are chosen together with our customers, head winemaker and partner farmers, to create new, exciting profiles with popular grapes that you can’t find anywhere else.
As a modern company, with a warm heart for our planet, all our choices are weighed with sustainability as the main pillar. Transparency is key to this. We are what we do, the outcomes can always be better, but we set the bar high. We keep questioning everything, and opt for improvement where possible – so here’s an invitation to you: keep us sharp and feel free to point us to progress.
When looking from the environmental impact lens, the area that has the biggest impact in winemaking tends to the the weight of the bottle. The heavier the bottle, the bigger the carbon footprint. Next to that, is of course the types of materials in use. We’re making conscious choices in both materials and executions, to minimise our carbon footprint wherever possible.
Since the beginning of 2023 we’re making serious steps to a 100% bio harvest and striving to have our complete product range skal-certified by 2025. Not all our farmers will join us on this journey and they also deserve a year to fully orient themselves on new opportunities. Next year we’ll introduce new bottles for all our product lines: ecological glass, recycled paper, natural cork and the lightest material of screw caps available. We’re also changing the color of our caps to ensure the recycling machine can easily recognise it and pick it up. Starting next spring we’ll move to 100% solar energy as the roof of our winery in Amsterdam will be covered with solar panels. Bike deliveries to our customers in Amsterdam is something we’ve always done; the last challenge for us to tackle is the truck transport of grapes to the Netherlands.
We close our production loop according to the zero-waste principle. Together with Oedipus, we brew beers from leftovers, such as the peels and seeds, and in collaboration The Stillery a grappa is made. Furthermore, we of course also make our own piquette. And what’s left, it goes to the local pig farmer of Extraordinary Pigs in Amsterdam-North.
