Est. 968

The very first traces of Dutch wine production are dated in the year 968; now, 1053 years later, we want to return to those basics by introducing you to climate neutral and natural wines, from our very own Dutch soil. From pop-up events to restaurant partnerships and deliveries to your doorstep, take a look below how you can get involved. 

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Introducing you to the best Dutch wines

No need to drive down to France anymore to find the best wine; discover what Dutch producers have to offer and how they’re doing their part in making the industry more sustainable. 

Ecological at its core

The producers of the wines we offer are reducing their ecological impact as much as possible, but even without pesticides and long distance transport, an environmental burden will always remain. Therefore, profits of the foundation are reinvested in nature, to offset the ecological burden of wine production to its full extent. 

Experience it yourself by attending our next event

Our Mission

Creating a wine experience that is truly local, ecological and transparent. 

Our mission started with the idea that it should be possible to enjoy a glass of wine, while minimizing the negative impact on our environment. That is why we founded ‘Est 968’, offering you a wine experience that strives to be environmentally positive, through promotional events, partnerships and direct sales channels. 

Local: the Netherlands produces excellent wines, which are quickly starting to find their way to the larger public. The core of our wine offering focuses on Dutch sustainable and natural wines. To mitigate for seasonal effects, there is an additional offer of a few natural wines from small producers in neighboring countries. Accompanying bites also feature local and biological ingredients. 

Ecological: we strive to work with domains that have a net positive impact on the environment by keeping the biodiversity on their vineyards intact and even further it. We therefore only work with winemakers that care for viniculture in combination with the environment. Our business operations will also be as ecological as possible, by circularity in our furnishing and wine bottles, but also by compensating those burdens we cannot avoid. For instance, by buying exhausted farmland to plant trees and support similar projects in the Netherlands. That way we can have a positive impact on the environment, substantially bigger than the environmental burden of our wine project.

Transparent: you will know how every penny of your glass of wine will be used. We will be completely transparent about our finances, from salaries, to operational costs, to environmental projects and even losses or profits. We also have personally vetted each winemaker personally and have visited the domain of every wine on our menu, so we can ensure the positive ecological impact and offering you the best wines. 

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The three pillars of our concept

N

We’re focusing on quality over quantity (locally and natural) and are minimaling the use of fossil fuels.

We're guided by 'Circularity' and 'Zero Waste' in our purchasing and usage, to avoid using new raw materials.

We're walking the talk and are only supporting actual carbon sinks to offset emissions.

Our Team 

Pragmatic Idealist

Johannes Kirpestein

Johannes is our idea machine, be it one with his feet on the ground (most of the times). The original idea of the wine bar was his brainchild and even though it only is the first step in his vision to change our economic system, he is too pragmatic not to get his hands dirty. Johannes prefers the more heavy and traditional red wines, especially Syrah, Grenache and Merlot.

Wine Adept

Matthew Hargreaves

Matt is the British-German touch to our wine bar. He studied and lived in Amsterdam for the past five years, where he worked in different restaurants and got kindled by a vivid passion for wine. He received a scholarship to continue his studies at the prestigious John Hopkins university, but he eventually decided to follow his intuition instead and took off for Italy to dedicate himself to the art of winemaking.

Environmental Gatekeeper

Fanny Cavalieri

Fanny is the French touch to our wine bar. She graduated in Environment and Sustainable Development in Montreal and has worked for several environmental projects. She will make sure that we will not commit any acts of greenwashing and oversees if we keep our word with stringent eye. Fanny has a critical taste for wine, only few make it through her selection. Oh yes, and she is an incredible chef.

Entrepreneur in Residence

Christian van der Woude

Christian gets stuff done. When others just start preparing, he is already ten steps ahead. Passionate about technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, Christian is always looking how to tackle the global challenges, one tiny step at a time – preferably with a nice glass of Chardonnay on the side. 

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Foundation Est 968, registered under number 84131365 in The Hague. Questions or comments? Send us a message at info[@]est968.nl.