A weekend with Grape Jane

Janneke Koelemaij imports wines for her webshop Grape Jane from Montalcino, Italy and Mallorca, Spain.

How Jane started with Grape Jane

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Jane has had a passion for wine ever since she was old enough to drink it. It started with testing simple bottles from the supermarket and soon developed into organising several wine tastings at home where she would let friends of hers try several different wines.

So when one day during Covid her boyfriend asked her to ride with him to Montalcino to load up the car with Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino it was a no brainer for Jane. They needed to transport the wines from an aunt’s best friend, because of Covid it could not be exported.

With a big white Defender full of delicious red wine from Montalcino, they drove back to the Netherlands and that's where the sale began. Just from the back of the car, to anyone who loved it. Friends, family and acquaintances were enthusiastic and in no time the first batch was sold. That tasted like more...

How did your love for Italy originate?

The first place my boyfriend took me to when we were just starting out together was Rome... so that says it all ;-)

Then from Montalcino, the love for Italy has really grown, the rolling hills and landscapes of Tuscany, the wines... the delicious pastas and perfect espressos

Do you have a favorite place in Italy?

Rome has truly stolen my heart, but I'm also a big fan of Florence, Milan, and especially Montalcino (of course, because of the wines), and also definitely the village of Bolgheri (because of the Sassicaia wines).

What inspires you?

The way they approach hospitality, their friendliness... excellent service and so hardworking and perfect quality (and especially fast), even the coffees along the highway are delicious, and their passion for taste and style from food to fashion."

Do you have a favorite Italian dish?

Yes, Pasta vongole! And Pasta Bolognese (the right way).

And which wine would you drink with that?

It depends on the season... Vongole in Sardinia paired with Vermentino (the local grape variety).

Pasta with game or Bolognese, always with a Rosso (I find it delicious when chilled in warmer weather... perhaps blasphemous to Italians...) or a Brunello... Again, I always opt for a local grape that complements the place and the dish."

How does your ideal weekend in Italy look like?

A good coffee in a nice hotel with some delicious sweet pastries, then I love to browse through some vintage shops with my boyfriend, in places like Siena or Florence.

A good lunch with pasta and wine... followed by a wine tasting at a vineyard or somewhere in the village, and in the evening, a late-night dinner at a beautiful spot.

What are some of your favorite spots in the area?

Siena

Osteria Le Logge - fantastic food and they have a huge wine list here.

Aloe&Wolf Vintage - you'll find the most beautiful vintage treasures here.

Bolgheri

Osteria Enoteca San Guido - delicious lunch with various vintages of Sassicaia wines; this is the Osteria of San Guido where the wine is made.

Montalcino

Enoteca Bacchus - Sapori Di Montalcino - the perfect place in the picturesque town for lunch with wine, of course.

Caffe Fiaschetteria Italiana - 1888 - ancient bar, fantastic interior; at the back of the establishment, you can request a wine tasting. They have a unique collection of the most exclusive wines. Also a great place for coffee.

Da Rizieri - Here you can tap by the glass and taste all the 'great' Italian wines!

Winetasting

Poggio Antico - For a tour and wine tasting, I can recommend Poggio Antico to you... amazing Brunellos and a beautiful vineyard!

Villa le Prata Wine Resort - A beautiful spot, where they also organise lovely lunches in the vineyard. Also a really nice place to spend the night.

Villa Le Prata Wine Resort

When you're not in Italy, how do you try to maintain the La Dolce Vita lifestyle, are there any places in The Hague that you like to visit?

Certainly, in The Hague, on Reinkenstraat, there's Zamcaffè, the Italian coffee shop that understands the art of coffee-making!

We also often get a cappuccino at Espresso Perfetto with a cannoli on the side, then we immediately take our Italian coffee machine for maintenance.

The ice cream parlor Luciano is just around the corner from us and has the very best Italian ice cream, plus the various locations of Vincenzo's are always good (for pizza/pasta).

In short, a true Italian fan to the core ;-)

You can order Jane’s beautiful wines from Montalcino here. We have a special discount for you with code PLINIUS15 you will get a €15,- discount on a box of wine of your choice and you can also follow them on their instagram grapejane_