RS: Renn Sport? No, not that, but a Récolte Selectionnée.

What do a rally driver, rugby player and hard rock musician have in common... Passion for wine! In any case, the result is impressive... The Le Plan Vermeersch RS Côtes du Rhône Blanc is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Marsanne. It offers bright, crisp citrus aromas. Notes of lime and mandarin dominate the medium-bodied palate, enriched with hints of melon and pear as the wine broadens on the finish. Drink it young.

Rally and Race .....

It all started with rally and car racer Dirk Vermeersch. Rally and car racing involved braking with the left foot, mastering four-, rear-, and front-wheel drive, finding the fastest route on the highways, stress, competition, training, tire testing, and car testing… But now there is the winery of the Southern Rhône, grape varieties, soil, terroir, oak barrels, steel fermentation tanks, wine blending, wine bottling, and wine tasting.
But always, always there is… the same passion, balance, calculated risks, eye for detail, quick decisions, methodical approach, patience, precision and… team spirit.
How did a rally and racing driver become a winemaker? Dirk, a Flemish Belgian, is a man with a lot of experience.

Without a diploma, with no prospect of a decent job, but as always wildly enthusiastic, Dirk Vermeersch, as a young taxi driver, dreams primarily of making a career in motorsport. Barely two years after starting in local races, he wins the 24 Hours of Zolder, and in that same year, 1977, he is the reserve driver for the victorious BMW in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. From that moment on, he becomes a professional racing driver.
After a long and successful career in motorsport, a serious rally accident in 1986 put an end to his racing activities. Dirk is up and down. He takes a step back and starts operating a petrol station, where he simultaneously deals in used cars. Three years later, his secret wish to become a dealer for a top-tier car brand comes true. Dirk officially becomes a Lancia and Maserati dealer in Schilde, near Antwerp.

Retirement beckons, but Dirk cannot sit still. First, he acquires a ruin in the South of France, and then he starts a construction company to renovate the wreck into one of the most beautiful and largest buildings in the region. A third dream comes true: Dirk and his family run a B&B in Provence.

Continuing in wine after all

But – perhaps predictably? – Dirk soon began to get bored in the countryside buzzing with grasshoppers, crickets, and bees, and the scent of blooming lavender. He began to dream his ultimate dream: making his own wine from the 1.7 hectares of very old Carignan vines (planted in 1961) surrounding the Mas. As a fully self-taught winemaker, he created the LePlan-Vermeersch Winery from scratch. And with an entirely new style of wines, labels, and marketing. His first LePlan GT-S 2003 was awarded 2 stars in the Hachette Guide des Vins, and Robert Parker, the famous American Wine Advocate, gave his LePlan GT-1 Chateauneuf-du-Pape 95/100 points. The rest is history…

Meanwhile, his daughter Ann went to the local oenology school in the Châteauneuf du Pape region to learn her trade. Here she met her future husband. Sebastian Barbara is a former rugby player, motorcyclist, and rock artist. In 2005, they both became members of the LePlan Vermeersch Winery. In 2010, the Vermeersch family decided to sell the old Mas and B&B and a brand-new, ultra
Modern 2,400 m² winery in Suze la Rousse, located in the heart of the GT “Grand Terroir” vineyards in Suze la Rousse (village of the University of Wine). To meet international demand, they have various partnership agreements with local winegrowers.

Now there is the Southern Rhône winery, grape varieties, soil, terroir, oak barrels, steel fermentation tanks, wine blending, wine bottling and wine tasting …

But always, always there is… the same passion, balance, calculated risks, eye for detail, quick decisions, methodical approach, patience, precision and… team spirit.

We would like to call the Le Plan Vermeersch RS Côtes du Rhône Blanc our house wine; there is always a bottle in the fridge. Perfect for any occasion: appetizer, dinner, lunch… you name it.