Cheese and Wine tasting in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city of food stops, but this one is different because you taste your way through Dutch cheese and then learn why the wine works. I like that it is set up like a short, friendly lesson, not a long lecture, and I also love the practical pairing focus so you can actually tell the difference on your next cheese board. The one caution is that it is very much a shop experience, so if you want zero sales energy, keep your expectations realistic.

In the room above Old Amsterdam, you get five cheese tastings paired with white, red and port style wines, guided in English. If you get a host like Ron Pieters, Maria, Luca, or Rick, you will probably enjoy the mix of stories and food talk. The drawback for some people is simply personal taste, because one reviewer wanted more variety in flavors, while this session leans traditional and aging-focused.

Key highlights to look for before you go

• Five cheeses from award-winning 2024 picks, presented as a guided flavor progression
• White, red, and port-style wine pairings, with explanations that connect aromas to aging
• A small-group feel (max 26) in a dedicated upstairs tasting space above the shop
• Goat vs. cow comparisons, including mild cheeses and age ranges you can taste
• A possible extra finish, like the dessert chocolate cheese one review noted
• A practical take-home incentive, with one review mentioning a 10 percent cheese discount afterward

Why a 55-minute cheese lesson in Amsterdam is a smart move

This tasting works because it fits real travel life. You are in central Amsterdam, you want something fun that does not require a whole afternoon, and you still want to learn. In under an hour, you go from first bite to knowing what you like, and that matters when you are wandering cheese shops afterward.

I also like that the experience teaches you to pay attention. Not in a fussy way. More like: notice what changes as cheese ages, and listen to the guide’s logic for why certain wines pair well. That makes the tastings more than a checklist of samples.

The setting is part of the charm. Reviews describe a quaint shop and an upstairs room designed for presentations, including a screen for visuals. You get a bit of structure, so you are not just tasting blindly.

Getting to Damrak 62HS and making the timing work

The meeting point is Damrak 62HS, 1012 LM Amsterdam. The session ends back at the same place, which is convenient if you are planning dinner nearby.

Duration is about 55 minutes. That is ideal if you want a mid-day reset, or if you are dealing with one of those classic Amsterdam rain windows. It also helps that it is near public transportation. You can slot it into a normal day without building a complex route.

One more practical detail: the experience is offered in English and has a mobile ticket. So you do not need to print anything. Just have the ticket ready and show up on time, since food and wine tastings are hard to stretch without throwing off the schedule.

Stop 1: Old Amsterdam Cheese Store, upstairs tasting room and guide flow

This is a one-stop experience, so everything happens at Old Amsterdam Cheese Store. The shop itself is the star, and the tasting area is set up above it. That upstairs space is where you get the guided presentation and the tasting flight.

Here is what the flow feels like based on the session structure people describe:

• You start with context about Dutch cheese and how it is made, including the differences between goat and cow cheeses.
• Then you taste through a set of cheeses in combinations with selected wines.
• You finish with a wrap-up that often includes quick learning moments, like a trivia-style quiz some people mentioned, plus an opportunity to ask questions.

You might find the guide is engaging, with a friendly humor style that makes you feel comfortable tasting slowly. Even if you are new to cheese, the guide’s job is to translate. How does it smell? What does it taste like? What changes with age? Then, how does wine shift the experience?

The tasting flight: five cheeses with white, red, and port

You should plan around the core format: five different cheeses paired with specially selected wines. Most descriptions mention a flight that includes a white, a red, and a port-style wine.

A few specific patterns show up in the tastings:

• You are likely to taste a mix of goat and cow cheeses.
• You will often compare cheeses across an aging range, including mild young styles and more aged bites.
• Many pairings are built to show you why white tends to work with one set of flavors, while red and port show up better with richer or more matured notes.

One reviewer specifically noted cheeses from goat and cow, including age references like 4 to 18 months. That gives you a strong hint about what the guide is trying to teach: aging is not just a date on paper. It changes texture, aroma, and the way wine highlights or softens flavor.

What you get during the tasting

The included items are straightforward:

• Food tasting
• Wine tasting
• Cutlery

And the wine angle has one key constraint: the minimum drinking age is 18. If everyone in your group is under that, you might want to rethink the plan, since the tasting is built around wine pairings.

About the small extras

One review mentioned a dessert chocolate cheese served as part of the experience. It might not show up for every session, but it is a good example of how Old Amsterdam likes to add a memorable final note.

The pairing lesson you can actually use later

This is the part that keeps me from calling it just a snack stop. The pairing teaching is practical. It trains your palate to notice subtle shifts, like how acidity in wine can refresh a richer cheese, or how sweetness in a port-style wine can complement salt and nutty notes.

The best part is that you do not need to be a wine expert. The guide’s explanations are built to help you understand the logic fast, then taste along with it. So when you later stand in a cheese shop looking at a wall of wheels, you are not lost. You can think in categories:

• young vs. aged
• goat vs. cow
• mild vs. stronger flavor notes
• how a wine style changes what you taste

If you have ever left a tasting thinking, I liked it, but I cannot repeat it, this format tends to fix that. You walk away knowing what worked and why.

Price and value: what $32.65 buys you in real terms

At $32.65 per person, the big question is whether you are paying for “samples” or for “learning plus samples.” In this case, you are paying for a guided tasting that includes both five cheese tastings and multiple wine types, plus cutlery and a host to explain what you are tasting.

Think of it like this: you would normally spend money on cheese anyway if you are serious about tasting. Add wine, add a structured lesson, and add a central Amsterdam location. That pushes the value into the “reasonable for a guided food experience” category.

There is also a potential bonus for taking action after the tasting. One review mentioned a 10 percent discount on cheese at the end. You may want to plan for that mentally, because if you find a cheese you love, that discount can offset a chunk of what you spent.

What is not included

Private transportation is not included. The upside is that you do not need it, because the stop is near public transportation and you can reach Damrak easily from many walking routes.

Who this works best for, and who should think twice

This is ideal if you:

• love food and want a low-effort, high-reward activity
• want to learn how cheese and wine pairing actually works
• want a cultural Amsterdam experience that feels local, not just touristy
• are traveling with friends and want something easy to do together

You will also enjoy it if you like structure. A one-hour program with a clear flow keeps you from feeling like you wasted a rainy-day slot.

Where it might be less ideal:

• If you dislike wine, or you do not want alcohol involved at all, this may not fit.
• If you are hoping for lots of unusual flavored cheeses, the session leans more traditional, aging-focused. One reviewer wanted more different flavored options, and that is a fair warning for very adventurous palates.
• If you hate any store-promotional atmosphere, remember this takes place above a cheese shop. Even with good teaching, it is still part of a business.

Small-group energy, English hosting, and practical details that matter

Max group size is 26. That matters because you can actually ask questions without feeling swallowed by a crowd. A smaller setup often makes the pairing explanations feel more personal, and reviews back that up with comments about the experience being intimate.

It is offered in English, which is helpful in a city where not every food tour runs in your language. Confirmation is received at booking time, so you do not need to chase down details later.

Service animals are allowed, and most travelers can participate. Also, it is near public transportation, which is a big deal in Amsterdam, where walking is normal but getting around fast still helps.

Questions to ask yourself before you book

Before you reserve, I suggest you picture what you want out of the hour:

• Do you want a guided tasting where you learn how to taste and pair?
• Or do you want a free-form cheese crawl where you pick and choose at your own pace?

If you want the first one, this fits perfectly. If you want the second one, you might still enjoy it, but it will feel more structured than you planned for.

Also check who in your group is 18 or older. Since wine is part of the core experience, age matters.

Should you book this cheese and wine tasting at Old Amsterdam?

Yes, if you want a short, satisfying food activity in central Amsterdam that teaches you something you can use right away. The strongest reasons to book are simple: you get five cheeses, you drink and taste white, red, and port-style wine, and you leave with a clearer sense of goat vs. cow and what aging does to flavor.

Skip it or reconsider if alcohol is a deal-breaker for your group, or if you hate anything that feels like it is tied to a shop. Otherwise, this is one of those practical Amsterdam experiences where you can show up hungry, learn fast, and take home at least a couple cheese ideas you can actually buy again.