The nuns at Sint-Cathardinal in Oosterhout, a town in the Netherlands, spend their summers growing and harvesting grapes to produce and sell wine, using the profits to keep up with the maintenance of their 376-year-old monastery. And this year, they certainly had success: the nuns produced nearly 64,000 bottles of wine that they’re now trying to sell.
They started their wine-making initiative after the economic crisis in 2012 to raise money for their convent, according to the Dutch newspaper Omroep Brabant, but recently faced difficult years of sales. In 2020, they were left with 20,000 extra bottles of wine because of airline difficulties during the pandemic, according to Food & Wine. Last year, they were only able to produce 9,000 bottles, leaving them with a small inventory.
“We desperately need the income for the maintenance of the monastery and so that we can continue to live here,” Sister Maria Magdalena said to Omroep Brabant. “I think we made a good choice with the wines. We make people happy and we connect people.”
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Around 2,000 bottles from the canceled ceremony are being auctioned off ahead of the crowning of King CharlesThey’ve teamed up with their local farming group Breda Maakt Mij Blij to help them sell their wines online, and together, they created a rather wholesome promotional video encompassing the beauty of the monastery, showing shots of the construction being done there and the nuns cheering their wine glasses together.
The white wine has a “fresh and fruity taste” and a light green color, according to the Breda Maakt Mij Blij website where the wines are being sold. It’s a blend of auxerrois, pinot blanc and pinot gris and has touches of citrus, green apple and white peach. Their light pink rosé is a blend of pinot noir and gamay, smells like raspberries and strawberries, and has an “elegant aftertaste.”
Currently, one bottle of wine is €14.50 ($16), and a box of wine with six bottles costs €87 ($96). Deliveries will be made between June 19-23, but in-person pick-up options are also available, in case you’re in the area on those days.
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