Cul Sec

from Culemborg, Netherlands

Wild terroir and creative ferments for multifaceted enjoyment

The search results in a domain.

Cul Sec is the work of a Dutch team that creates grape-based proxies. Here, grape pressing meets gathering, harvesting, and processing: herbs, woods, seaweed, minerals, and even oyster shells find their place.

The trigger was personal: the father stopped drinking, and his children, Emile and Mélanie, wanted to preserve the joy of complexity. Instead of focusing on grape varieties, they established partnerships in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Hungary, cultivating ingredients often overlooked at the edge of the field. Pear and berry pruning, hand-picked herbs from food forests, seaweed – each harvest expands the range and the network. This creates a vibrant network of winemakers and farmers that strengthens biodiversity and regenerative practices.

Ferment, macerate, wood – precisely constructed

For each cuvée, Cul Sec selects organically or biodynamically grown grapes – such as Sangiovese, Pecorino, Chardonnay, and Müller-Thurgau – from different regions of Europe. After pressing, the skins are cold-macerated in kombucha or water kefir: this extracts tannins, a subtle hint of bitterness, and more structure in the glass. Depending on the profile, verbena, Douglas fir needles, dulse, oak, or even oyster shells are added. Alongside wild yeasts, lacto-fermentations of vegetables take place, herbs are extracted hot and cold (from lemon balm to fig leaf), and verjus made from unripe grapes adds acidity. Stainless steel and wooden barrels form the framework; fresh oak, chestnut, Douglas fir, or spruce branches provide resinous, slightly drying notes. Grape skin teas and vinegar macerates sharpen the character – the result remains taut, clear, with a mineral finish.

Laboratory of the landscape, texture in focus

Cul Sec understands "terroir" not as a geographical location, but as an interplay of forest, field, and water. Douglas fir needles and blackcurrant leaves bring a green, citrusy freshness; woody herbs or chestnut leaves underpin the tea's structure. Hydrosonic extraction draws essential oils from leaves in just a few hours, without oxidation – currently used primarily for blackcurrant and Douglas fir leaves. For the 2025 cuvées, verjus takes center stage, direct juices are reduced, and oak and chestnut extracts enrich the texture. Bottled naturally cloudy, with a fine perlage and meticulously curated collaborations: a domaine in a glass – precise, multifaceted, and with a seasonal perspective.

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Cul Sec from the Netherlands merges wine craft, botany and fermentation into layered non alcoholic natural (red, white, orange) wine alternatives with texture and depth. Each cuvée combines biodynamic grapes with herbs, wood and marine elements – a living composition shaped by landscape. Rather than dealcoholization, Cul Sec relies on fermentation, maceration and aging to build natural structure. The result: mineral, precise no/low drinks with fine bubbles and a clear sense of terroir – a domain in the glass, redefining the idea of ​​wine without alcohol.

Cul Sec from the Netherlands combines winemaking, botany, and fermentation to create complex, alcohol-free natural wine alternatives with a clear profile and depth. In each cuvée, organically and biodynamically cultivated grapes meet herbs, wood, and marine notes – composed like a culinary landscape. Instead of dealcoholization, Cul Sec relies on fermentation, maceration, and aging in stainless steel. This results in no/low drinks with mineral tension, fine bubbles, and authentic terroir – fermented works of art that redefine the concept of alcohol-free wine.