What is the oldest wine shop in Amsterdam? Visiting B.J. de Logie

Wine merchant B.J. de Logie at Beethovenstraat 27 in Amsterdam-Zuid calls itself the oldest wine shop in Amsterdam. The business started in 1848 on the Schapenplein, now the Muntplein, and has been on the Beethovenstraat since 1928. De Logie was the very first shop on that street, and it is still there.

How did De Logie end up on the Beethovenstraat?

Founder Daniël de Logie started trading wine on the Schapenplein in 1848. After that the business moved a few times, including to the Johannes Verhulststraat. In 1928, the year Amsterdam hosted the Olympic Games, the Beethovenbuurt had just been completed. Barend Jan de Logie, the B.J. in the name, was allowed to choose a spot himself and picked the corner shop on the little square. De Logie was the first tenant of the building and the first shop on the entire street.

Almost a hundred years later it is still a family business. According to De Logie itself, it is one of the hundred oldest family businesses in the Netherlands that still exist. In 2023 it made the front page of Het Parool, because it had been in business for 175 years.

Who is behind De Logie?

Since 2015 the owners have been Suzanne van Broekhuizen, Jasper Ferwerda and Frank Houtenbos. Jasper has worked there the longest, thirty years now, and learned the trade from Suzanne’s father Theo. Frank comes from the restaurant world and worked at places including the Amstel Hotel, De Kersentuin and Beddington’s.

Suzanne’s father never actually allowed her to work in the business. Theo had to take over the wine shop with his mother at seventeen, after his father was suddenly killed in a car accident. So Suzanne studied psychology and criminology and worked for the Amsterdam police for almost eight years. In 2010 she asked her father whether he regretted never letting her work in the business. The conversation turned into a job interview on the spot, and less than six months later she had handed in her notice at the police.

What makes De Logie special?

They import many of their wines themselves, from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Portugal. They know every winemaker and how they work. The range runs from house wines to top wines, made as naturally as possible. They also run tastings and wine courses.

I live not far away and go there regularly. What strikes me every time is the choice. To be honest, almost too much, but you always get good help. You tell them what you are looking for or what you are going to eat, and they find the wine to go with it. The last time, I asked for advice for a festive winter dinner with a red wine sauce with chocolate in it. Not the easiest pairing, but they had a bottle for that too.

What does De Logie recommend?

Ask Suzanne for one special wine and she will name the Albariño from Palacio de Fefiñanes, from the Rías Baixas in Spain. In Spain people drink it on special occasions, such as birthdays and weddings. According to Suzanne it is a wine that is difficult to make, but tastes wonderful. And one that is very dear to her.

Living around the Beethovenstraat

The Beethovenbuurt used to be an upmarket neighbourhood and is still a quiet, pleasant place to live. At the same time, things are changing: more restaurants and bars have opened on the Beethovenstraat in recent years. What stays the same is the location. You live somewhere quiet, you are out of the city in no time, and by bike or public transport you are just as quickly back in the centre.

Curious how living and buying in this area works? Then read our page about Amsterdam-Zuid. Looking for a home in Zuid yourself? Feel free to see what our buying agent can do for you. More shops around the city: Lanskroon on the Singel and Meesterslijpers on the Kinkerstraat.

Photos: Wijnhandel De Logie