OUR STORY
- A KIWI AND A AUSSIE WALKED INTO A DUTCH BAR -
they decide to stay forever. The end!
That's the best and most accurate description and analogy that can be provided to ease your curiosities, and yes there is more to that brief yet almost comical opening line summary
The name Two Island Wines was born out of the fact that we both come from two islands in the pacific, and yes, one is better than the other! (Which one depends on which of us you speak to).
We are passionate about importing, distributing (and drinking) some of the best wines from Australia and New Zealand, produced in Vineyards we knew growing up there. Our local knowledge means that we can introduce you to wines with great reputations and strong followings at home. To any native of these regions, these vineyards are well-known, and beloved especially for being very high quality and representative of the lands they come from.
Our ethos has always been to work with producers who are fully engaged with the local community: they have to be supported by the locals and committed to social and environmental programs that benefit the area and its people.
You may be asking yourself how two antipodeans ended up in The Netherlands. And we have often asked ourselves the same question...
In fact, we have been friends for quite a long time, since 2001 when we both worked for a tourism company based in London. Unknown to ourselves at the time, we both moved to The Netherlands at roughly the same time for roughly the same reason – good Dutch woman, who, enticed us, lured us, seduced us to change course and set sail to The Netherlands. It wasn’t until sometime after being seduced and settling down with our respective better halves that we discovered the co-incidence and re-connected.
So, having both moved to The Netherlands and settled into our new lives, the natural cycle of life asserted itself. Love blossomed and matured, children appeared, and, as Spring turns to Summer and Autumn fades to Winter, as top 10 hits change and life's rhythms grooves on......and on....., till one day Corona rides into town, throws all life’s rhymes on the floor, enforcing change, out with the old in with the new, adjust or die!
And Two Island Wines was born.......Enjoy
Ben & Scott
Ben
OWNER
FOUNDER
ENTREPRENEUR
AUSSIE
Ben with the Restaurant Fred crew
- Rotterdam
Scott
OWNER
BARMAN
CREATIVEDESIGNER
KIWI
Scott working it
- Den Haag
US IN A NUTSHELL
What do we actually do?
IMPORTING
We import direct from vineyards in New Zealand and Australia.
DISTRIBUTION
Pretty clear, we distribute our wines
EVENTS
We can provide for your events/weddings/functions.
FESTIVALS
You can also find us at various wine festivals with our own stand, waiting for you!
-DISCLAIMER TECHICALITIES & INTER ISLAND BANTER-
In reality it should be called 5 Islands Wines, as New Zealand’s has 3 main islands and Australia 2, but that didn’t have the same swagger and groove to it, nor did we want to get bogged down by technicalities, so 2 islands it was.
The Great Western Islands of New Zealand, (commonly known as Australia, or Straya in the local dialect) has struggled for decades with the cunning Kiwi's ability to field great rugby teams and beat them at every other sport.
One thing however the Australians are arguably on par with, or equals to, is wine making.