Tucked away in one of The Hague’s quieter streets (Molenstraat), Winebar & Restaurant De Filosoof has grown into a beloved refuge for anyone who enjoys good conversation, honest mother-home cooking, and a wine list that dares to wander off the beaten path. Founded by the owner Ofran Badakhshani, who has a deep affection for both philosophy and hospitality, De Filosoof has always been more than a place to eat and drink — it’s a meeting point for curious minds.
Over the years, the bar has built a reputation for its warm, lived‑in charm: wooden tables that invite long evenings, shelves lined with bottles, books and poetry from unexpected corners of the world, and a team that talks about wine the way others talk about old friends. Their focus on authenticity — in food, in wine, in atmosphere — has made De Filosoof a small but steady institution in the city’s culinary landscape.
What sets the place apart is its openness to discovery. The menu shifts with the seasons, often guided by the home‑cooked Persian dishes that have become a signature of the house. The wine list mirrors that same spirit: thoughtful, adventurous, and unafraid to showcase regions that deserve more attention. It’s the kind of bar where you walk in expecting a glass of something familiar and walk out thinking about a grape variety you’d never heard of before.
I had the pleasure visiting the restaurant . During an great dinner with Persian homemade food I tasted one of there extraordinary wines made of 100% alicante bouchet 2019 produced by SAVALAN – ASPI Winery in Azerbaijan, what was founded in 2007. Its one of the biggest wineproducers in the south Kaukasus in the district of Gabala. The Savalan valley is bounded by two rivers and had an altitude of 400 meters above sea level.
Lets have a closer Look to the wine:
SAVALAN 2019 Alicante Bouschet arrives with the kind of muscular confidence that has quietly defined Azerbaijan’s emerging wine scene. From the first pour the wine asserts itself: a deeply pigmented core, almost opaque, rimmed after 6 years still with youthful purple. It’s a wine that speaks before words are spoken.
On the nose it offers ripe black fruits—blackberry and plum—tempered by dried thyme and graphite that hints at the mineral soils of its origin. Toasted oak appears : vanilla and tobacco that serve the fruit rather than overwhelm it.
Palate-wise, the 2019 vintage is structurally honest. Full-bodied, with firm yet refined tannins and a bright acidity that prevents the weight from tipping into opulence, it delivers concentrated dark-fruit flavors—cassis, black cherry—layered with cocoa and black pepper. The mid-palate is generous ; the finish is long, edged with savory spice and a return of those stony mineral notes.
This is a wine that rewards patience: approachable now with decanting, it will likely gain nuance over five to seven years.
