Viticulture in Belgium

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Vineyards near Torgny in southern Belgium

The Belgian wine , despite its minor economic importance, a long tradition. The Belgians have always been among the best buyers of French wines from Bordeaux , Burgundy and Champagne . Despite its northern location, Belgian wines are also produced in modest quantities . The amount produced rose between 2004 and 2006 from 1400 hl to over 4000 hl and thus developed significantly faster than assumed at the beginning of the 21st century.

Wine-growing regions

Wijnkasteel Genoels-Elderen in the Haspengouw Denomination of Origin

Viticulture is spread across both Flanders and Wallonia . Since Wallonia is French-speaking, Belgian wine legislation is closely based on that of neighboring France. Belgium currently has 7 appellations of origin in the rank of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC for short). 4 AOCs are in Flanders, 3 in Wallonia. Hageland , in the province of Flemish Brabant between the towns of Aarschot , Tienen and Leuven, was the first Belgian appellation of origin dedicated to viticulture. The term Hagelandse wijn was protected by a law of July 9, 1997. The second Belgian designation of origin followed in 2000 with the AOC Haspengouw . Located between Hasselt , Sint-Truiden , Herk-de-Stad , Herstappe and the Dutch border, this area is home to what is currently the largest Belgian wine company, Wijnkasteel Genoels-Elderen .

The first wine-growing regions in Wallonia were established in 2004. With the designation of origin Côtes de Sambre et Meuse , a geographically extensive area near the rivers of the Maas, Oise and Sambre was defined. At the same time, the country wine Vin de pays des jardins de Wallonie was defined. This wine can be produced anywhere in the Wallonia region.

Another AOC followed in Flanders in 2005 with Heuveland . Heuvelland is limited to the towns of De Klijte, Dranouter, Kemmel, Loker, Nieuwkerken, Reningelst, Westouter, Wijschate and Wulvergem, which are located near the French border.

The Flemish designations of origin were supplemented by the sparkling wine Vlaamse mousserende kwaliteitswijn , which can be produced practically anywhere in Flanders. Because of the very general definition of the growing area, the following geographical precisions may be included on the label:

  • Uit de kuststreek (de la région de la côte), Uit de Westhoek (du Westhoek), Uit Brugge en Ommeland (de la région de Bruges et des environs), Uit de Leiestreek (de la région de la Lys), Uit het Meetjesland (de la région du Meetjesland), Uit de vlaamse Ardennen (des Ardennes flamandes), Uit de Schelde- en Denderstreek (de la région de l'Escaut et de la Dendre), Uit het Waasland (du Pays de Waas), Uit het Pajottenland en Zennevallei (du Pajottenland et de la vallée dela Senne), Uit de Dijlevallei (de la vallée de la Dyle), Uit Antwerpen en de Antwerpse Kempen (d'Anvers et la Campine anversoise), Uit de Limburgse Kempen (de la Campine limbourgeoise), Uit de Mijnstreek (de la région des Mines), Uit het Maasland (de la région de la Meuse), Uit de Voerstreek (de la région des Fourons), Uit de Oost-Brabantse Heuvelstreek (de la région des Collines du Brabant oriental) and Uit de Zuid-Limburgse Fruitstreek (de la région fruitière du Sud Limbourg).

At the same time, the country wine Vlaamse Landwijn (Vin de Pays Flamand) was defined. This wine can be produced anywhere in the Flanders region. For the country wine, the same additions to the name to specify the origin apply as for the sparkling wine.

In 2008, the sparkling wines Crémant de Wallonie and Vin mousseux de qualité de Wallonie were defined on Walloon territory . While the Crémant has stricter criteria for the selection of grape varieties and with regard to the maximum pouring volume , the sparkling wine under the name Vin mousseux de qualité de Wallonie can be geographically more narrowly designated by one of the following name affixes :

  • Roman Païs , Ardennes brabançonne , Pays de Villers en Brabant wallon , Pays de Waterloo , Pays de Mons , Tournaisis , Pays du center , Les Terres blanches , Picardie , Botte du Hainaut , Pays de Charleroi , Val de Sambre et Thudinie , Hesbaye-Meuse , Thermes et Coteaux , Pays de Herve , Pays de Liège , Huy-Meuse-Condroz , Vallées de la Burdinale et de la Mehaigne , Basse Meuse , Gaume , Pays de la Semois entre Ardenne et Gaume , Pays d'Arlon , Haute-Meuse dinantaise , Pays de Namur , Sambre-Orneau and Vallées des Eaux vives .

Grape varieties

The following grape varieties are permitted for wines with the Flemish Denomination of Origin Hageland :

The following applies to wines with the Flemish Designation of Origin Haspengouw :

  • White grape varieties: Auxerrois, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Optima, Ortega, Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris, Riesling, Siegerrebe and Würzer.
  • Red grape varieties: Dornfelder, Gamay, Pinot noir.

The following varieties may be used for wines with the Walloon designation of origin Côtes de Sambre et Meuse :

The term Seibel vines is mistakenly kept very general. From this huge family of varieties, only one plant of the Verdelet variety is known in Belgium .

For the production of Flemish quality sparkling wine, the legislation provides for the following varieties:

  • White grape varieties: Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Riesling.
  • Red grape varieties: Pinot meunier, Pinot noir.

For the production of Walloon quality sparkling wine, the winemakers can choose from the following types:

  • White grape varieties: Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Riesling.
  • Red grape varieties: Pinot meunier, Pinot noir.

The choice of Crémant, however, is limited:

  • White grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot blanc.
  • Red grape varieties: Pinot meunier, Pinot noir.

The history of viticulture in Belgium

In 1895 Joseph Halkin published the only complete historical survey of Belgian viticulture to date. Accordingly, the first vineyards were laid out in the 9th century. The Christianization promoted by Charlemagne went hand in hand with the establishment of numerous monasteries. In addition, the Landgüterverordnung Capitulare de villis vel curtis imperii grants viticulture a not unimportant role. The churchmen were dependent on the availability of mass wine . From the year 815 there was a vineyard belonging to the Sank-Peter monastery in what is now Ghent . Einhard was a lay abbot there . Only a little later, the Liège Bishop Walkald shared vineyards with the Saint-Hubert monastery near Huy and Vivegnis, a district of Oupeye .

Reconstructed temperature history of the last 1000 years according to various sources

The climate was comparatively mild from the 9th to the 14th century . This period is also called the Medieval Warm Period or Medieval Climate Optimum . Regionally and at different times, the annual average temperature during this time was a few tenths and up to 1.0 degrees Celsius higher than usual. Favored by the warm climate, the population generally grew strongly. Viticulture flourished throughout Europe. Significant vineyards were created near the cities in order to be able to supply the local market. Not least because of the fact that wine was often cleaner and poorer than water because of its alcohol content , its popularity rose even further.

In 1018 the cultivation of wine begins in Wépion near Namur , 1033 in Profondeville , 1079 in Berlingen near Wellen , around 1100 near Löwen , 1151 in Floreffe , 1203 in Anseremme near Dinant , 1260 in Leffe near Dinant, 1269 in Bruges , 1286 in Tournai or 1327 in Mons . In the early Middle Ages, wine was grown in practically all climatically favored areas of today's Belgium. The Meuse valley turned out to be particularly favored . The areas to the left of the Meuse belonged to the County of Namur , those on the orographic right to the Principality of Liège .

Despite the favorable climatic conditions, the quality was not always satisfactory. Documents from the Cistercian monastery of Villers-la-Ville indicate that the order tried to import wine from the Rhine and Moselle. However, the journey lasted almost a month and the containers needed constant maintenance during transport. The option of buying wine by land proved impractical in the 12th century.

In the High and Late Middle Ages, the forerunners of the later provinces (e.g. West Flanders , East Flanders , Brabant ) were formed under the Burgundian dukes. Especially Philip the Good united other areas of today's Belgium ( Burgundian Netherlands ) through inheritance or purchase. Under Charles the Bold (Charles le Téméraire), the Duchy of Burgundy reached the zenith of its power.

The international network and the wealth of Flanders were the basis for the rise of Burgundy. Viticulture flourished on Belgian soil in the early 15th century. In Leuven alone there were 23 publicly operated wine presses in 1411. Many farmers, under the influence of falling grain prices, switched their production to viticulture. However, this development did not last long. With the growing influence of Burgundy, the wines from the Burgundy wine-growing region were increasingly imported into what is now Belgium. The finer wines of this region meant the end of many local vineyards. Bad harvests in the years 1511 to 1524 also ensured that better locations were abandoned. This decline was accelerated by economic difficulties and the devastation of soldiers in the context of the Eighty Years' War that ruled from 1568 . In addition, beer established itself as an important alcoholic drink. To brew beer have long been used all available types of grain and to the 16th century with Grut (called Grutbier seasoned). Beer, which was made from regionally different herbal mixtures, was cloudy, sweet, low in carbon dioxide and did not have a long shelf life. In the 16th century, however, the hop beer prevailed. The beer money became an important source of taxes.

Bust of Felix Sohie in Hoeilaart

As a result, little is known about viticulture in Belgium. Only 16 years after the Belgian Revolution was an agricultural survey of the country carried out in 1846, in which 166 hectares of vineyards were determined. 144 hectares were located in the province of Liège in the immediate vicinity of the Meuse.

In 1862 Felix Sohie founded the tradition of growing table grapes under glass in Huldenberg . Sohie grew the first grapes with Baron Theodoor de Baudequin de Peuty on his Kasteel te Huldenberg. In nearby Hoeilaart alone , there were 5,176 greenhouses in 1910 and nearly 35,000 in 1960. Mainly the varieties Alphonse-Lavallée and Léopold III, which is a mutation of the first variety, were grown.

The climate

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Uccle
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 5.6 6.5 9.9 13.1 17.7 20th 22.3 22.4 18.7 14.4 9.1 6.5 O 13.9
Min. Temperature (° C) 0.8 0.6 3 4.9 8.9 11.6 13.7 13.4 10.9 7.6 3.7 2 O 6.8
Temperature (° C) 3.2 3.6 6.5 9 13.3 15.8 18th 18th 14.8 11 6.5 4.3 O 10.4
Precipitation ( mm ) 71.1 52.7 72.9 53.7 69.3 77.5 68.9 63.6 62.3 68.1 79.1 78.8 Σ 818
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
5.6
0.8
6.5
0.6
9.9
3
13.1
4.9
17.7
8.9
20th
11.6
22.3
13.7
22.4
13.4
18.7
10.9
14.4
7.6
9.1
3.7
6.5
2
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		71.1
52.7
72.9
53.7
69.3
77.5
68.9
63.6
62.3
68.1
79.1
78.8
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of October 23, 1997.
  2. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of March 3, 2000.
  3. ↑ Wijnkasteel.com ( Memento from March 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Publication of the Walloon Region (PDF; 2.5 MB). ( Memento from March 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of November 4, 2004.
  6. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of June 15, 2004.
  7. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of December 6, 2005.
  8. ^ Extract from the Belgian State Gazette of December 6, 2005.
  9. ↑ Excerpt from the Belgian State Gazette of December 6, 2005.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / staatsbladclip.zita.be  
  10. ^ The text of the law of March 5, 2008.
  11. ^ Gert von Paczensky, Anna Dünnebier: Cultural history of eating and drinking . btb 1997, ISBN 3-442-72192-X , p. 195

literature