About Me

Almost 30 years ago I fell in love, not with Antonio or Roberto, but with Italy itself; I was moved by its beauty that I found in the art, the buildings, the landscape and later the language, the ice cream the food and the wines.  As I was studying in Florence I discovered that there were still so many wine grapes unfamiliar to me and that made me decide I wanted to get to know them all.  And here I am, still looking for discovering 🙂  Meanwhile I have worked as a tour guide, studied (partially) Italian and Renaissance Art history, followed a course to become an Italian sommelier (AIS) , travelled throughout Italy to get to know all wine regions, lived in Rome and Florence and now live here in Liguria at the coast.  I want to inspire others and share my passion for this beautiful country and its treasures.

Return to nature

I dream of a world without chemicals, for starters in the vineyards and the wine cellar! Natural resistance in the vineyards -and your body while giving it the nutrients it deserves.  My main values are Nature, Connection with the source and authenticity.  I really want that my knowledge of Italian wines and of biological, biodynamical and natural wines contributes to a more conscious choice.  All/Everything is energy, if I can convey that message, even about wines, I accomplished my goal.

contribution 

I was born on a farm.  Raised with cows, pigs, sheep and space all around me, green surroundings and a whole lot of peace and quiet.  Vegetables from the garden, fruits right from the trees.  Pure and unsprayed, top quality produce.  Slaughtering happened right at home, you knew the origin of the meat on your plate (never our own animals, my dad couldn’t take that).  But later, you discover that that top quality you took for granted all these years isn’t quite so obvious anymore.  Very difficult to find even.  But it still exists.  I think my past is why I recognize it so easily, in wines too. The pure honesty of the produce.  In Italy it’s easier to find, those unadulterated flavors.  That of course has something to do with the weather too.  Wine growers draw on past and ancient techniques and combine them with present day’s knowledge.  Simple nostalgia?  No.  A return to the original flavors without invasive intervention in nature and without chemical pesticides or additives. Participating in preserving our wonderful mother earth and bringing back biodiversity.

Above all of course enjoying all nice and sweet!

My other passions beside wines are: reading, going for a walk/hiking, music and arts, studying the laws of the Universe.

Join me on on a discovery tour of Italy! 

Why choose Divino Natura ?

• • Italian sommelier AIS since January 2009 (first class in the Netherlands in 2008)
  • Living fulltime in Italy since 2014, partially travelling the country to visit wine fairs, events and wine growers
  • 10 months of full time travel through Italy to visit all wine regions
  • Fan of Italy since 1987
  • Decided somewhere around ‘93/’94 to only drink wine (instead of beer) and if it were up to me Italian wine. And a firm decision to get to know all the Italian wine grapes…
  • As a tour guide for SRC delighted hundreds of people with my passion and knowledge of Italy, its art and culture.
  • Invested around 40.000€ (low estimate) past years to education, study materials and mainly ‘live’ experience by visiting different wine regions, fairs and events.
  • Organizer of wine (& gastronomical) trips in Italy since 2007
  • Supplier of courses on Italian wines since 2011
  • Supplier of Italian wine-tastings and workshops since 2008
  • Selected/advised on the accompanying wines for the menus of Il Giornale (ref. nl) (2012/2013)
  • Written articles (in Italian) for naturalfoodandwine.com
  • Written about wines for an Italian tear-off calendar (2015?)
  • Advisor for the selection/import of biological wines for among others, Pura Passione
  • Worked as a wine advisor for ‘Kasteelhoeve’ (2008 – 2010) with regular wine tastings and on premise advice
  • Lived in Rome from 1989 – 1990 (and returned every summer afterwards)1990 – 1996 studied (partially) Italian and Literary arts, specializing in Renaissance and Baroque, for that I spent several periods in Firenze studying and researching

• Why not put it to the test and let yourself be inspired by our course Italian wines