Riemst, Jaap Van Rennes from genoels-elderen in Riemst, a pioneer for the professional wine-growing in the province of Limburg and by extension, very Belgium, died. He died as a result of a cerebral infarction in hospital Vesalius in Tongeren. Jaap Van Rennes was 84 years old. His life’s work was a few years ago, the inspiration for the VTM series ‘southern flank’.
Jaap began in 1990 with wine growing. In that year he sold his companies in the Netherlands and he went with his spouse and two children live in the castle of genoels-elderen. That was his new passion. Together with his then 18-year-old daughter Joyce, he planted his first vines on a site of a small half-acre to the castle. In all that time won From Rennes to prominence in the world of wine, and then, by his actions, the domain is now better known as ‘the wine castle of genoels-elderen’. The estate stretches today over about 22 acres.
in the Meantime, the daughter Joyce followed in the footsteps of her father entered and makes them, as a recognized wine expert now own wine on the estate. “He wanted to from the beginning in a professional way wine making,” says Joyce Van Rennes. “He has genoels-elderen and Riemst, but especially the wine here and across the country, put on the map.”
Pioneer
A great success. More still, he was the basis for the expansion of the viticulture in our region. “Dad was an entrepreneur pur sang. He dared to take risks. He had the audacity to here as the first professional wine to grow,” says Joyce. “A lot of colleagues who now own vineyard have, are come here to see how daddy done got. He was 56 years old and still young. He had his companies of hand-done and believed in viticulture”, sounds.
self-taught
Jaap Van Rennes has not wijnstudies done as his daughter. He was self-taught. “He went over the vines, I made the wine”, says Joyce Van Rennes. “He went well in the teaching on wine growers in France and knew already a lot of wine, since he was a wine had, and lots of wine imported. In addition, drank it like a glass,” says Joyce.
On and around the wine castle line as a guide to hundreds of groups around. Invariably, he wore a distinctive hat to him as a winemaker reported. Especially his cheerful and funny but to the point, stories that he in a guided tour and told the visitors, remain in the memory of many inscribed.
The funeral of Jaap Van Rennes is next week Friday in the parish church of genoels-elderen.
