Nuns in Oosterhout have 64,000 bottles of wine left over. 'There is a lot to enjoy'

Nuns in Oosterhout have 64,000 bottles of wine left. 'There is a lot to enjoy'

The women religious of the Sint-Catharinadal convent in Oosterhout have 64,000 bottles of wine left. 'Last year's dry, warm and sunny season made for beautiful, full bunches of grapes,' explains Prioress Maria Magdalena (65).

The Sisters of St Catharinadal Convent have been growing wine since 2014.

The Sisters of the Norbertine order were able to make almost twice as much wine as in a normal season due to the good harvest. However, it proved a huge challenge to sell all that wine too, even though it is important for the nuns. This is because the proceeds of the wine go towards maintaining the convent and its landscape. Sint-Catharinadal is one of the oldest religious communities in the Netherlands. It is celebrating its 750th anniversary this year.

In 2020, due to corona, the sisters also had a wine surplus, then of 20,000 bottles. Through the platform Breda Makes Me Happy, the prioress came into contact with Thibaud van der Steen, who made a video of the nuns that went viral.

Within days, all the wine was sold. Maria Magdalena hopes that even now the wine will be sold quickly. 'There is a lot to enjoy.'

Now that the sisters are once again facing a large wine surplus, they contacted Van der Steen. 'The wine campaign is one of the most special rescues we have ever done. I look back on it with a warm feeling and I am happy to help them get rid of their stock again.'

The sisters have been growing wine since 2014. Before that, the nuns' earning model was a farm and art studio; they had a highly regarded bookbindery and sold calligraphy. They couldn't make enough money from that, so under Sister Mary Magdalene's leadership, they made the switch to viticulture. 

For this bold move, the nuns received honorary citizenship from Mark Buijs, the mayor of Oosterhout, last month. Eleven nuns still live in the Sint-Catharinadal Convent.

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