In "Friends of EuroCave" you can discover more about our friends. Today we talk to Marc Kroon of Marc Kroon Wines. We know Marc as a real jack-of-all-trades and walking encyclopedia when it comes to wine knowledge.
Hello Marc, how are you doing?
Actually quite well. You notice that in times like these you start thinking about things differently. You see opportunities you never saw otherwise, but you also see your mistakes clearly.
A period of self-reflection is always good. Can you tell us something about yourself?
I'm Marc, living together with my girlfriend Aimée in Den Bosch and our work and life is wine. After a super nice time in the hospitality industry, I started working with wine a year ago. But above all, of course, the cooperation with EuroCave.
Yes, we have noticed that! It's great to have you on the floor at least 3 times a week. How did you become familiar with EuroCave ?
When I started with wine about 10 years ago, the first thing I read was that maintenance of your bottles is super important. This immediately made me start looking into storage. EuroCave then came up everywhere as the best when it comes to wine storage. I remember exactly driving to the showroom with my dad to go look for my first cabinet. Little Pure with black door. How happy I was with it!!!
Super nice to hear. So this is how you store your wine at home?
Yes, in my EuroCave. Lovely! Fully stocked with sliding shelves and I check it every day. I have a 1 zone cabinet. So everything is at storage temperature. We also have a small cabinet in the kitchen for a few bottles at drinking temperature.
What is your favorite wine and what do you prefer to eat with it?
For me, Gonon Saint Joseph is the wine! About 3 years ago at a famous winemaker, Rajat Parr I saw more and more Gonon coming by. And the style Rajat drinks is very much the style of wines I love myself. So right away I ordered a bottle. 2013. This was seriously exactly how I like my wines to be drunk: refined alongside characterful, intensely aromatic with ripe but fresh fruit in a slightly muscular palate, smoky, tart, complex nuances, black currant, blueberry, fresh currant, spice and pepper.
What an enthusiasm! What is your favorite wine book?
Sowieso Cork Dork. This is not really a wine book. It's a book about a woman, Bianca Bosker, who trades in her job for a job in the sommelier world. The things she experiences during tasting groups, the guests she has at the table or just the effort she has to make to fit into the world. Everything reads wonderfully.
Thanks for the tip. Which restaurant would you like to visit (again) and why?
These are and remain difficult choices. But there are actually 2. Odette in Singapore for example. This is truly a never-to-be-forgotten experience. 3 Stars at the highest level. Be it the food, the service or just the look. Everything is right.
And Protege in Franschoek. The people are super nice and the food absolutely top notch. And still a friendly atmosphere!
Unfortunately neither is next door. Take your pick: cheese or chocolate
Cheese. Nothing better than opening a nice bottle and eating some cheese with it after a busy week.
Can you do without social media?
Difficult. I find that I quickly check what someone is doing or what people are posting about wine. There are a fair number of leading wine writers and tasters who post what they think is a booming wine at the time.
What is the best life lesson you learned from home?
Nothing comes easy, you just have to work hard for it.
What is your dream for the future?
Keep drinking beautiful things and doing things we enjoy. If you do things you enjoy and work hard then great things happen.
