On this day we attended a masterclass led by Robert Verweij. Robert is a Dutch chef and viticulturist known for his appearances on the Dutch TV show Life & Cooking. In addition to hosting cooking and wine workshops, he is also recognized as a cheese connoisseur.
He began the session by demonstrating how to make ice cream. Using cream, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon, he produced a smooth, flavorful ice cream while explaining the various techniques used in ice cream preparation. He also guided us through a tasting of different styles so we could identify the subtle differences between them.
The morning flew by. I didn’t manage to take a photo of the ice cream, but it was excellent.
After lunch we moved into a structured wine-and-food tasting. Each participant received a tasting form to evaluate the wines, the foods, and the combinations. We sampled both dessert-wine pairings and wine-and-cheese pairings. The exercise emphasized objective tasting: noting characteristics such as sweetness, acidity, tannin, and texture rather than personal preference. By focusing on objective descriptors we learned to assess which foods complement specific wines. Tasting is difficult to convey in words—experiencing it firsthand makes the lesson clear.
Overall, I learned a great deal and would gladly attend another workshop by Robert. If it were up to me, the tasting could have lasted a bit longer.