Please call me Mees. It’s my Dutch middle name and pronounced mase (or meisu). I am a sommelier. For nearly two decades, my main stage has been at the table, from Amsterdam to Paris, from Copenhagen to Kyoto, and it is magic. The flow, the food, the guests. The lighting, the hosting, the conversations.

But that’s not all. I love telling stories and there are many ways to do so.

By teaching a class on bits floating in your wine. Writing a background piece on the real price of coffee farming. Collaborating with a sake brewer on a special project. Finding a painter to make a beautiful label. Speaking on a stage about the importance of authenticity – and questioning what that word even means.

By letting you taste something phenomenal.

An anthropologist at heart, I see the world through the lens of beverages (not beer goggles) and connect them to their deeper cultural significance. Throughout my career, I have travelled extensively and done immersive research into all aspects of drinks: from their historical origins to the way they are made, served, and drunk. I have been enthralled to meet like-minded people and be part of a worldwide network of producers, farmers, artists and scholars. All the time shlepping around a heavy old camera.

Currently based in Copenhagen, I am always ready to pursue dreams as of yet undreamt. Shoot me a message!

For more about my projects and adventures, check out: