Where memories are made

In May this year Oostwegel Collection has agreed a long-term partnership with the famous Limburgian wine estate, St. Martinus. Oenologist, Stan Beurskens and his team, have produced seven unique signature wines for Oostwegel Collection and not even four months later the wines are already winning medals.

On 12 September it was announced that all seven signature wines have been awarded medals at the ‘Wijnkeuring van de Lage Landen’. The medal table for the wines made by Oostwegel Collection & St. Martinus looks like this:
• 2x gold for the sparkling wines ‘Mosaic 3’ en ‘Mosaic 3.5’
• 4x silver for wines ‘WIJn 265’ red and white, white wine ‘Hommage Judith’ and red wine ‘Hommage Camille’.
• 1x bronze for rosé ‘WIJn 265’

An independent team of blind tasters awarded 17 wines with a gold medal this year. Wine makers from The Netherlands and Belgium submitted a record number of almost 300 wines for the contest.

All the medal winning wines are available exclusively at the hotels and restaurants of Oostwegel Collection and Camille Oostwegel says about medals: “We are very proud that we have already been awarded for the quality of our wines. The intention of the partnership with St. Martinus is to offer our guests a differentiated choice of quality wines. It is amazing that the vision we have gets awarded so quickly!”

The partnership not only brings a great new selection of wines to the hotels and restaurants and strengthens the gastronomic ambitions set by Oostwegel Collection, but guests in the four properties will be able to learn more about the wines through a variety of wine flights, tours and tastings. For more information about the partnership between Oostwegel Collection & St. Martinus, click here.

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Oostwegel Collection has agreed a long-term partnership with the famous Limburgian wine estate, St. Martinus. Oenologist, Stan Beurskens and his team, have produced seven unique signature wines for Oostwegel Collection. From today, all these new wines will be available exclusively at our hotels and restaurants.

Our flavourful Limburgian wines have been curated in collaboration with sommeliers, chefs and friends of Oostwegel Collection, while the grapes from the Chateau St. Gerlach vineyard, called ‘WIJland’, have been used to create each wine.

The vineyard at the ‘WIJland’ covers 3.5 hectares and can be viewed from a new wooden lookout tower, giving breath taking views across the land, the herb and vegetable garden and Geul Valley.

All wines are sustainably produced and have been divided into three categories: The first category, ‘WIJn 265’, consists of white, red and rosé varieties. The wines in this category have a slightly lighter flavour profile. The second category is called ‘Hommage’, and consists of a white and a red wine. These wines are fuller bodied due to the oak barrel aging. As an homage to the parents of owner and managing director Camille Oostwegel, the white wine is named after Judith and the red wine after Camille Sr. The third and last category has been named ‘Mosaïc’ and includes two sparkling wines, made according traditional methods. Françoise Oostwegel designed all the wine labels.

Camille Oostwegel says about the partnership: “We are very thrilled to partner with Stan Beurskens and his team. Both companies have craftsmanship and sustainability as part of their core values. With this collaboration we really offer a differentiated choice of wines for our guests. As well as the new offering we also significantly reduce our carbon footprint. In total we are talking about 20,000 bottles of house wine that will no longer have to be transported from France and Italy to Limburg.”

Stan Beurskens added: “This partnership feels very natural. For us it is an opportunity to scale up our craftsmanship and force of innovation since we can produce additional wines from the added plots at the ‘WIJland’. We are looking forward to working with Camille’s team to keep advancing the wines and also to give the guests at Oostwegel Collection unforgettable memories, in the hotels and restaurants, as well as, at our wine estate in Vijlen.”

The partnership not only brings a great new selection of wines to the hotels and restaurants and strengthens the gastronomic ambitions set by Oostwegel Collection, but later this year guests in the four properties will be able to learn more about the wines through a variety of wine flights, tours and tastings.

About Oostwegel Collection
Oostwegel Collection is a Dutch family business that is founded on the principles of Inspiring, Artisanal and Hospitable. This is brought to life by three pillars: People, Place and Gastronomy. Camille Oostwegel has been the Owner and General Manager of the company since the beginning of 2020. He followed in the footsteps of his father Camille Oostwegel Sr., who in 1980, with great passion and care, started the restoration and repurposing of national monuments. The company now consists of: Château Neercanne, Winselerhof, Château St. Gerlach, Kruisherenhotel Maastricht and the concept Villas & Residences.
For more information: www.oostwegelcollection.nl

About St. Martinus
The vineyards of St. Martinus are in the most Southern part of The Netherlands, very close to the Ardennes. With an innovative and sustainable style, we produce white, red, rosé and sparkling wines from Limburgian soil. Wines to really enjoy!
For more information: www.wijngaardmartinus.nl

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Oostwegel Collection completes its management team with two new members. Ilona van Rooij (29) joined as Director of Sales & Revenue on 1 February and Desiree Dils (41) will become General Manager of Kruisherenhotel Maastricht on 1 April 2021.

Camille Oostwegel is delighted to welcome these new members. “Our management team is complete and with it we will build on our vision and ambition. That vision and ambition is about winning, and we can only do that with a robust team. With the arrival of Ilona and Desiree, we have a complete, robust and dynamic team with a range of experiences and perspectives. I look forward to working with them and the rest of management to achieve our ambitions.” The management team of Oostwegel Collection includes nine people, consisting of four women and five men. Remarkably the average age of team members is relatively low, at 37 years old.

Director of Sales & Revenue
Ilona van Rooij took up her post as Director of Sales & Revenue for the entire Oostwegel Collection on 1 February 2021. After completing her Bachelor at the NHTV Academy of Hotel Management, Ilona was awarded the Master of Science (Management of Learning) at the University of Maastricht. She gained international work experience in London, among other places, and before her move, she worked as Commercial Director at DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Central Station.

Ilona van Rooij: “The passion, entrepreneurship and inspiring vision of Oostwegel Collection immediately appealed to me. As a wholehearted Limburger there is also a sense of pride in this beautiful collection of monumental hotels and restaurants in South Limburg. It is therefore, with full energy and enthusiasm I look forward to achieving great results together with the team in the coming years.”

General Manager of Kruisherenhotel Maastricht
On 1 April 2021 Desiree Dils will take up her position as General Manager of Kruisherenhotel Maastricht. She has been working for almost three years as Director of Food & Beverage at the five-star Hotel De L’Europe in Amsterdam. Over the past twenty years, Desiree has held various international positions, including in London and China and primarily in the luxury hotel sector.

Desiree Dils: “Having completed my studies at the Hotel Management School in Maastricht and worked abroad for many years, most recently in Amsterdam, I am honoured to join the team of the Kruisherenhotel and the Oostwegel Collection family, in the most beautiful city in The Netherlands. Hospitality is in my blood – as it is for every Limburger and my great passion is to showcase this with a dedicated team.”

About Oostwegel Collection
Oostwegel Collection is a Dutch family business that is founded on the principles of Inspiring, Artisanal and Hospitable. This is brought to life by three pillars: People, Place and Gastronomy. Camille Oostwegel has been the Owner and General Manager of the company since the beginning of 2020. He followed in the footsteps of his father Camille Oostwegel Sr., who in 1980, with great passion and care, started the restoration and repurposing of national monuments. The company now consists of: Château Neercanne, Winselerhof, Château St. Gerlach, Kruisherenhotel Maastricht and the concept Villas & Residences.
For more information: www.oostwegelcollection.nl

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Two very familiar faces at Château Neercanne will bid farewell on 1 March to pursue the next stage in their respective careers. Maître d’Hotel, Dennis Lemmens, has received a promotion within Oostwegel Collection and takes on the role of Food & Beverage Manager at Winselerhof, while Chef de Cuisine, Gilbert von Berg, is to open his own restaurant.

Dennis Lemmens (43) has worked at Château Neercanne since 2001, gaining his position as the restaurant’s Maître d’Hotel in 2007. In his new role as Food & Beverage Manager at Winselerhof in Landgraaf, he will be responsible for the service teams in Restaurant Pirandello, Luigi’s Restaurant & Bar and banqueting. In this exciting new role Dennis will bring his skill and expertise to his new team and build on the continuing gastronomic ambitions of Winselerhof.

Regarding his promotion Dennis says: “For me this is a great new challenge to lead a bigger team in a different property, but still it feels familiar because I will continue to work for the Oostwegel family’s business.”

Gilbert von Berg (38) has worked alongside the culinary team of Restaurant Château Neercanne since 2007, taking on the role of Chef de Cuisine in November 2017. For his next career move, he has chosen to follow his entrepreneurial ambitions. In spring 2021 he will open his own, small scale, restaurant in Maastricht.

Of his career change, Gilbert says: “It has always been a dream of mine to have my own restaurant in Maastricht where I can strive to achieve my ambitions. I had a great time and education at Château Neercanne but the opportunity has presented itself for me to start my own business and I want to grab it with both hands.”

We thank Dennis and Gilbert for their tireless efforts over the past few years in which they played key roles in the development of Restaurant Château Neercanne. We wish them great success and joy in their new careers!”, commented Camille Oostwegel, Owner & Managing Director of Oostwegel Collection

Talent Factory

Pierre Haenen, General Manager at Château Neercanne says: “The development of Dennis and Gilbert is once again a great example of the results cultivated through Oostwegel Collection’s ‘Talent Factory’. It shows that talent not only grows within our organisation but can lead to entrepreneurial success”.

Successors

At the time of this press release there are no replacement candidates for either position. “We have promptly started the recruitment process for both of these important positions. The successful candidates will continue to build on both Dennis’ and Gilbert’s legacy to ensure the continued success of Château Neercanne as a gastronomic hot spot”, says Pierre Haenen

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