Cheese and Wine tasting in Amsterdam

Five cheeses, one tight hour in Amsterdam. This cheese and wine tasting at Old Amsterdam Cheese Store is built for people who want to learn what they taste, not just snack. You’ll sample five types of award winning cheeses of 2024, paired with white, red, and port wines, and a guide keeps the pace friendly and easy to follow.

What I like most is how quickly it turns food curiosity into real tasting skills, from noticing differences between goat and cow cheeses to understanding how aging changes flavor. I also love that the experience is structured, with cutlery provided and the tasting held in a dedicated upstairs room above the shop area, which makes it feel like an event rather than a quick stop.

One drawback to consider: this is a guided tasting with set selections, so if you want a huge menu of cheese styles on the spot, you might leave wanting more. The good news is you can usually keep exploring right after in the shop, since the tasting happens at the Old Amsterdam Cheese Store itself.

Key Things to Know Before You Go

• Five cheeses, paired on purpose with a white, a red, and a port wine
• Upstairs tasting setup in the store, making it feel like a proper session
• Guide-led pacing with time to ask questions and get pairing logic
• Dutch cheese basics fast including differences in goat vs cow and how aging affects taste
• Small group size with a max of 26 travelers for a more personal feel
• Value boost reported from a discount on cheese after the tasting

Cheese and Wine in Amsterdam: Why This 55-Minute Format Works

Amsterdam can wear you out. Between canal walking, museums, and coffee stops, you need activities that are short, satisfying, and easy to schedule. This tasting is set for about 55 minutes, which is a sweet spot when you want something memorable without burning half a day.

The format also helps you focus. You are not wandering the entire store trying to compare ten things at once. Instead, you taste five cheeses in a planned order and you pair them with wines chosen to explain the logic of flavor matching. That makes it far more useful than a random cheese platter you might order later.

And yes, it is fun. Several people call it their best hour in Amsterdam, not because it is a theme party, but because the guide experience is interactive and the pairings are described in a way that makes the tasting easier to “get.” If you like learning through food, this one fits.

Old Amsterdam Cheese Store on Damrak: Getting There Without Stress

The tasting starts at Damrak 62HS, 1012 LM Amsterdam. That is central enough to combine with other sightseeing, and it is also near public transportation, so you are not stuck planning a complicated route.

Bring the mindset of a local food stop, not a museum. You will arrive, get checked in with your ticket, and then move into the tasting space. The event ends back at the meeting point, so you do not have to worry about finishing somewhere inconvenient.

A practical note: you will need to be there on time. The duration is about an hour, and the tasting depends on the flow of pours and tasting bites. I suggest you build in a small buffer, especially if you are also walking around Damrak before or after.

The Single Stop Itinerary: What Happens at Your Tasting Room Session

This experience has one core stop: Old Amsterdam Cheese Store. The tasting itself is the whole program, so the schedule is simple, which is exactly what you want on a travel day.

Here is what your session is built around:

You start with the cheese selection and tasting rhythm. You then move through the set of five award winning cheeses of 2024, tasting each one alongside specially selected wines. The goal is to show how characteristics of cheese change how wine reads on your palate.

Then the guide connects the dots. Expect talk about what you are tasting and why the pairing works. In multiple accounts, the host also explains production basics and practical ways to tell goat vs cow differences, plus what aging does to texture and flavor.

Finally, you wrap up. Some people mention end of session perks like a discount on cheese purchases. Even without the shopping bonus, the tasting logic tends to stay with you, which is the real point of doing it as a guided event.

Possible timing consideration: because the tasting is structured, you might feel the clock move quickly if you want to linger over each bite. That is common with a tight 55 minute experience, but it also keeps the day from dragging.

The Cheese Lineup: Five Dutch Styles and What to Listen For

You will taste five different types of cheeses. The selection is centered on Dutch cheesemaking and teaches you how to notice differences beyond “this is good.”

Several people highlight a mix of goat and cow cheeses, including cheeses that reflect different ages. The idea is to help you understand how aging impacts flavor and aroma. Young cheese tends to taste cleaner and milder, while older cheese often gets sharper or more complex, depending on the style.

If you are a Gouda fan, you will probably feel right at home. Multiple people describe tasting a range that includes Gouda, and the guide’s comparisons between goat and cow mild cheese and aging processes come up again and again. This is one of the most praised parts of the experience, because it turns cheese shopping into something you can actually do with confidence.

One more detail that makes this section valuable: it is not just the cheese you taste, it is the story of how and why each cheese behaves differently with wine. That is what helps you develop a “palate map” you can reuse after the tasting.

If you are hoping for a very broad range of flavored cheeses, do know that the selection here is more focused on traditional styles. One reviewer wished for more flavored options. If your dream Amsterdam cheese stop is all about weird and wild flavors, you might end up browsing afterward for variety.

Wine Pairings Done Right: White, Red, and Ruby Port Logic

The tasting includes wine pairings with the cheese. Expect a lineup like a white wine, a red wine or red blend, and a port, including a Portuguese ruby Port in some accounts. The tasting is designed to show you when each wine works better.

The pairing explanation matters. It is easy to taste a wine and enjoy it. It is harder to understand what made it work with that specific cheese. Guides here focus on that pairing logic, often comparing why white can suit one cheese profile while red suits another.

This is also why the experience feels like more than free samples. You end up learning a skill: matching acidity and body with cheese texture and fat content, and noticing how sweetness and richness behave against sharper cheese notes.

Practical tip for your palate: do take a moment between cheeses to reset your taste. Even a quick pause helps you catch the differences the guide is pointing out, instead of mixing everything into one big blur of flavor.

The Guide: How Names Like Maria, Luca, and Ron Pieters Show Up in the Details

A big reason this tasting earns such strong marks is the way the guide runs the room. People repeatedly praise the host as engaging and friendly, and several names show up in the feedback, including Maria, Luca, and Ron Pieters.

What you should expect from the guiding style:

• Clear explanations of what cheese characteristics you are tasting
• Guidance that links cheese and wine together, not just separate descriptions
• Room for questions and conversational answers

This matters because cheese tastings can turn awkward if the guide is quiet or if the group is left to fend for itself. Here, the tone seems built for visitors who want to learn without feeling tested.

A small drawback to consider: one review wished for a handout listing the exact cheese and wine names used in the tasting. If you care about buying the same items later or you are building a notes list for follow-up, you might plan to snap photos (where allowed) or ask the guide to repeat the names before you go.

Included Items and What They Mean for Your Experience

The tasting includes:

• Food tasting
• Wine tasting
• Cutlery

That matters because it removes friction. You do not have to carry anything fancy or worry about whether the tasting is “bring your own” style. It is set up so you can focus on tasting and learning.

What is not included:

• Private transportation

So plan your route like you would for any other Damrak activity. You can rely on public transportation being nearby, but you still need to get yourself to the shop at Damrak 62HS.

Also note the minimum drinking age is 18. If you are traveling with teens or you just prefer to keep things alcohol-free, you should ask in advance about the wine portion. The listing clearly sets a drinking age rule, so follow the lead of the operator on how that works in practice.

Group Size and the Feeling of the Room

This is not a giant crowd event. It is capped at 26 travelers, and multiple people describe it as small and intimate. That size is a real advantage: you get more chance to interact with the guide, and you are less likely to lose the pairing explanation in the noise.

You also get better learning conditions. With smaller groups, you can hear the reasoning behind each pour, which is where the value lives. When the guide can see faces and watch reactions, the session becomes more responsive.

If you hate standing in lines and waiting your turn, this is a strong option. You are there for a focused hour, not a free-for-all.

Price and Value: Is 32.65 Worth It?

At $32.65 per person, this is positioned as a mid-range food experience. On paper, it might sound like a simple tasting, but in practice you are paying for three things:

1) The pairing education

Two parts of this event are always working together, cheese and wine. You are not just eating cheese, you are getting a guided framework for understanding why the pairings work.

2) Award winning cheese access

You taste multiple types of award winning cheeses of 2024. That level of selection is often harder to assemble yourself on a short schedule.

3) Convenience in a prime location

You meet at Damrak, a central area. You do not need to travel out to get a structured tasting room experience.

One extra value note: multiple accounts mention a discount on cheese purchases after the tasting. If you plan to bring some Dutch cheese home, that can noticeably stretch the value of the experience.

The best “value test” for you: if you enjoy tasting sessions where you learn how to match flavors, you are likely to feel this was worth it. If you only want to eat cheese without instruction, you may wonder why it is not cheaper. The room is built to teach, so lean into that.

When to Book and How Far Ahead Planning Helps

On average, this tasting is booked about 14 days in advance. That tells me two things: it is popular, and it is not always easy to slot in last minute during busy weeks.

If you are traveling in peak season or you have a tight schedule, book sooner rather than later. Getting the slot you want in the central Damrak area can help you plan the rest of your day.

You will receive confirmation at booking time, and you get a mobile ticket. That makes it smoother if you are already juggling maps, tickets, and museum entry times.

Who This Tasting Fits Best (and Who Might Want Another Plan)

This tasting is a great match if:

• You love cheese and want to understand the differences between types
• You enjoy wine pairings and want the pairing logic explained
• You want a short, easy Amsterdam activity that still feels like a real experience

It is also a good solo activity. People describe going with friends or meeting new people during the session, and the group size keeps it social without turning into a loud party.

Who might be less satisfied:

• If you are hoping for a huge variety of unusual, strongly flavored cheeses beyond what the operator selects
• If you want a long, slow tasting with lots of free time, since the session is about an hour
• If you need a take-home list of the exact cheese and wine names, because one review suggests a handout was missing or desired

Should You Book the Old Amsterdam Cheese and Wine Tasting?

I think you should book this if you want a clean, well paced introduction to Dutch cheese paired with wine in a central Amsterdam location. The standout reasons are the high ratings (it scores very strongly on recommendation), the guide style, and the fact that the tasting gives you more than just “try this.” You leave with a better sense of how cheese aging and goat vs cow traits influence what wine should do.

It is also a smart “rain day” type plan since you get everything you need in one indoor setup above the store. And if you plan to buy cheese afterward, the added discount mentioned by some people can make it even more worth your time.

If you are unsure, use this quick decision rule: if you want to learn to taste and you like pairing food with explanation, go. If you only want a casual snack with no teaching angle, you might prefer a self-guided shop stop instead.

FAQ

Where does the cheese and wine tasting start?

The meeting point is Damrak 62HS, 1012 LM Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the activity ends back at the meeting point.

How long is the tasting?

It runs for about 55 minutes.

What is the price per person?

The price is $32.65 per person.

Is the tasting offered in English?

Yes, it is offered in English.

What is included in the experience?

It includes food tasting, wine tasting, and cutlery.

What is not included?

Private transportation is not included.

What is the minimum drinking age?

The minimum drinking age is 18.

Can I cancel?

Yes, there is free cancellation. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.