Introducing new Rotterdam Ambassador Taco de Vos – “it felt quite difficult to enter the industry”
Taco de Vos made quite an impression at the 2026 Star Wine List of the Year competition for Belgium and the Netherlands, held in his home city of Rotterdam. A vibrant member of Rotterdam’s wine community, the sommelier is now tasked with identifying its top wine spots for wine lovers of every sort, on the Star Wine List map. Challenge, accepted. Meet our new ambassador and his first five Red Stars.
There was a lot of laughter at the awards ceremony for Star Wine List of the Year Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Much of it came from Taco de Vos’ brief spell on stage, while accepting the Gold Star for the Best Short List in the Netherlands. His most memorable celebratory words centred, not around wine, but an alternative drink with which to toast his win.
“There is a Dutch saying: ‘goede wijn is nog geen bier’,” he announced to his industry colleagues. “It basically means that a good wine will never be as nice as a nice glass of cold beer.”
It may sound incongruous at an event recognising wine lists, but it is an understandable craving – shared by many in the room who, funnily enough, can tire of sampling wine after a certain point. Taco’s irreverence lit up the room and, when he suggested that there could be more wine places on the Star Wine List map, Founder and Publisher Krister Bengtsson offered him the challenge of remedying that fact.
So meet Star Wine List’s new Rotterdam Ambassador, Taco de Vos.
Taking up this role means that Taco will no longer be able to enter his own restaurant into the Star Wine List of the Year competitions (he is sommelier and co-owner of De Matroos en het Meisje) but it also means that he will be able to share his favourite wine destinations with the rest of the world.
A resident of Rotterdam for his entire adult life, Taco lives in the south of the city, and will soon move to Katendrecht (even closer to his restaurant). His biggest tip for visitors to the city is to explore in kind: “skip the centre and come to the south,” he says. But beyond that just being his neck of the woods, it’s also home to “the Migration Museum and the Fotomuseum, and come to Deliplein – from there on you can have a nice lunch and dinner at numerous places!”
He begins as ambassador by adding five Red Stars to our Rotterdam guide. Get to know him – and them – further.
Taco’s new Red Stars
Welcome to Star Wine List! How does it feel to be our new ambassador in Rotterdam?
“It feels weird, I’m usually not the type of person who steps out and does something like this. But after four glasses of wine I started to complain about the lack of Rotterdam’s visibility on Star Wine List; they asked me to do it and I couldn’t say no!”
Have you used Star Wine List much before? Do you find it helpful?
“Professionally, I’ve been using it for four years now but I’ve used it personally already before. I actually applied for [the competition] since I knew it gave me a free premium membership. The part of searching for specific wines in specific places is what I’m using the most. It is a great tool to use and it’s brought me to amazing places all over the world.”
How have you gone about selecting your new Red Stars?
“I first took all the restaurants who applied for a White Star, and added two personal favourites extra. The most important thing for me is if there’s any effort put into the wine programme.”
Do you have any favourites amongst them?
“Yes, but that’s also because it’s so easy [for me] to visit: Verward, a really nice place that someone introduced me to when I was trying to take my first steps in the industry. A lot of first-time bottles [have been had] over there, and good memories shared.”
How would you describe the wine scene in Rotterdam?
“Honestly, it can be way better. I think there are too many restaurants with no focus on the wine list, or way too expensive. Buying a bottle for under €100 and selling it for €360 is ridiculous. As an entrepreneur, I understand money has to be made, but from personal experience I know that you will sell more if your prices are competitive.”
What's the sommelier community like in the city?
“I think it’s shredded – a lot of small clubs. One of the few places where lots of different sommeliers come is Verward.”
What was the first bottle, or moment, that got you hooked on wine?
“It was in a time where I mostly drank Bacardi [and] cola and I got a wine tasting at my work. The difference between a Languedoc Sauvignon and one from New Zealand struck my mind.”
Do you have any mentors in the industry? How have they helped you?
“I did not have a real mentor. In fact, it felt quite difficult to enter the industry. It was, and might be still, dominated by a few people with mostly a one-sided view of wines as a whole. I found out that for natural wine geeks I’m ‘too classic’ and for traditional wine lovers I’m ‘too natural’. After I started at de Matroos en het Meisje, Felix Warners from Rieslinghuis helped me a lot with getting the right wines on my wine list and introduced me to other good sommeliers.”
Where exactly did you grow up?
“I grew up in Streefkerk, a few kilometres away from the famous windmills in Kinderdijk. It is a small town which I enjoyed a lot as a child but couldn’t be happier to leave when I was 18. I went straight to Rotterdam and never left.”
Was wine part of your family, growing up?
“It was definitely a part. My father always enjoyed wine and had some decent knowledge about the basics. In summertimes he liked Sancerre from the Loire valley and Nebbiolo from Piedmont, in winter he preferred white Burgundy and Amarone. It was also my father who taught me how to drink chilled red wine in Spain.”
What training or exams have you completed?
“I’ve completed WSET 2, but refused to go on with the studies. I like to have the focus, and in my opinion the studies were too much orientated at wines from Chile, Argentina and South Africa. Also the level of wines (cheap ones) poured at the courses made me cry every now and then! I’ve learned on the job and have visited many winemakers throughout the years!”
What are you looking for in a Red Star venue and wine list?
“Tastes differ, so giving a Red Star to a place is not to do with personal taste. What I appreciate the most is that you see someone crazy owning the place or working there; working with 15 different suppliers is not beneficial for your time, cash flow and stock, but I love it when people do it – it’s a sign that you’re a true wine lover.”
Is there one section of a wine list that you gravitate towards?
“Yes, sparkling wine (most preferably Champagne) is getting my attention at first. And I also love the section between €50 and €75 – it can be a sweet spot for getting really nice bottles for a reasonable price.”
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