Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Wine in a cold climate

Two hundred years after Napoleon’s attempt to destroy Belgium’s vineyards as a way of protecting French producers, the reputation of Belgium’s viticulture is finally re-emerging from under the shadow of its illustrious neighbour, says Jon Eldridge

Belgium is internationally famous for its beers, but it could soon be equally fêted for another popular alcoholic beverage. Interest in wine has grown in Belgium in recent decades, especially as the country becomes more suitable for wine production – a “benefit” of climate change. Moreover, as the trend towards cold-climate wines continues, a larger area is being devoted to the growing of vines in Belgium.

Another factor contributing to the success of Belgian wine is the increased knowledge of grape varieties and the ability of growers to select types that can be protected from exposure to damaging frosts and be harvested early. The most common grape variety for Belgium is chardonnay – around 90% of Belgian wines are white. The soil type closely matches that of the Burgundy region of France.

While Belgium is not widely recognised as a wine-producing country, most experts agree that the quality of its wines has improved. “More and more people are realising that Belgian wines can be very good, but we must work hard to make sure that we have a good product,” says Marleen Oris, a tour guide at Belgium’s largest winery, the Wijnkasteel, near the village of Genoels-Elderen.

Located in the Limburg hills, the wine-producer was the second of four vineyards in Flanders to be awarded the appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) label, in 2000. (A winery in the region of Hageland, close to Leuven, was the first AOC, in 1997.) The vineyard offers guided tours, followed by tastings, by arrangement. The Wijnkasteel is a picturesque château that dates back to the 13th century, although it was reconstructed in the 18th century after being burnt down by the French army.

Currently owned by father and daughter, Jaap and Joyce van Rennes, the family bought the property in 1990 and planted their first vines a year later.

Today, the Wijnkasteel cultivates 24 hectares of vines and further expansion is planned. As well as the chardonnay, the winery produces a red grape, pinot noir, and makes sparkling wines and levenswater, which is similar to cognac.

Since 2004, Wallonia has also been able to boast an AOC wine: Côtes de Sambre et Meuse, which is produced in the vicinity of Liège. The label is awarded by the Fédération Belge des Vins et Spiritueux/Belgische Federatie van Wijn en Gedistilleerd, which was created in 1950 and today represents around 90% of all wines and spirits commercially produced in Belgium.

While the AOC label is a recognisable sign of quality, Laurence Lardot, who co-owns Oeno Tk, a wine bar/shop in Brussels, says that the label is not essential for establishing the quality of Belgian wines. She sees the role of the bar as allowing her clients to discover new wines, and many eager oenophiles ask specifically for Belgian wines. Her own favourite is the Cuvée Ruffus from the Vignoble Des Agaises at Haulchin in Wallonia.

Oeno Tk, which opened in 2006, is one of several wine bars in Brussels benefiting from the city’s increasingly international population. The bar offers a tapas-type menu and a more Mediterranean style of socialising that is as popular with the well-heeled locals as it is with the south European expats. And such a cultural shift could also benefit the emerging market for Belgian wine.

Bernard Poultet at Oeno Tk argues that travel has opened up minds and broadened tastes, and that there is great potential for wine-growing in the country.

At the Wijnkasteel, Marleen Oris shares this belief. “This will be the wine region,” she predicts. “England will also be a significant wine producer. French champagne producers are already buying up land in the UK.”

Oris acknowledges, however, that prejudices are difficult to overcome, but she is confident that the quality of the wines, and not prizes and labels, will determine their success. “In the end, it’s the consumer who decides what their preference is.”

An important factor in overcoming prejudices was the 2009 publication of a book on Belgian wine, Vignobles de Belgique, by Eric Boschman and Kris Van de Sompel (Editions Racine, €29,95). Miguel Saelens, who owns the shop Mig’s World Wines, in Brussels, says that its publication testifies that Belgian wine is “more important and popular than people might think”. Saelens sells a range of Belgian wines, but says that most vineyards in the country are “minute” and their wines are sold locally or consumed by the family. “Only 10 to 12 [wineries] are large enough to sell in any great quantity,” he asserts.

Although Belgium has traditionally been a difficult place to grow vines, a short history lesson may explain the relative paucity of wine production. The first wines in Belgium date back to the early Middle Ages (9th century) and were mostly produced by monks. However, the Little Ice Age of the 14th century devastated many vineyards, and beer production gained in popularity, aided by the addition of hops that prolong its storage life.

While it is probably true that Napoleon’s troops were a blight on Belgian vines, it wasn’t until the last century that wine-growing resurfaced. Two small towns outside Brussels – Overijse and Hoeilaart – became among the richest in Belgium in the 1920s, thanks to their vines, and Overijse still has its annual grape festival. In the 1960s, the efforts of a few pioneering viticulturalists established wine-growing on a commercial scale and yielded vineyards that today are putting Belgium on the wine-producing map.

Wine list

Belgian tipples to watch in 2010

Sparkling wine Schorpion – Chardonnay Millesime 2004

White wine Domein De Kluizen – Nobelzoet Optima 2008

Red wine Château Bon Baron – Cabernet 2008

FR Le vin qui vient du froid

Deux cents ans après la tentative de destruction des vignobles belges, menée par Napoléon comme un moyen de protéger les producteurs de vin français, la réputation de la viticulture est finalement en train de renaître en Belgique. Lentement, elle émerge de l’ombre que lui faisaient ses illustres voisins, nous explique Jon Eldridge

La Belgique est réputée à l’échelle internationale pour ses bières, mais elle pourrait bientôt être mise à l’honneur pour une autre boisson populaire alcoolisée. Au cours des dernières décennies, un intérêt croissant s’est manifesté pour le vin, renforcé notamment par de nouvelles conditions favorables à la production viticole dont le “bienfait” du changement climatique. En outre, comme la tendance s’accentue pour les vins venus des climats froids, une plus large place est réservée à la culture de la vigne en Belgique.

Le Wijnkasteel est un château pittoresque qui remonte au 13ème siècle. Là, sont cultivés 24 hectares de vignes et des expansions sont prévues. Marleen Oris, du Wijnkasteel, confirme que les préjugés sont difficiles à renverser, mais elle est confiante et croit que c’est d’abord la qualité des vins, et non pas les prix ni les étiquettes, qui détermineront leur succès. Et pour secouer les préjugés, la publication d’un livre en 2009 sur les vins belge, Vignobles de Belgique d’Eric Boschman et Kris Van de Sompel, a marqué le coup. Miguel Saelens, propriétaire du magasin Mig’s World Wines, à Bruxelles, confirme que cette publication prouve que le vin belge est « plus important et populaire que les gens ne le pensent ».

C’est sans doute vrai que les troupes de Napoléon ont dévasté les vignobles belges, mais ce n’est cependant qu’au siècle dernier que les exploitations ont refait surface dans le pays. Deux petites villes à l’extérieur de Bruxelles – Overijse et Hoeilaart – sont devenues parmi les plus riches cités de Belgique dans les années 1920, grâce à leurs vins, et Overijse est toujours célèbre aujourd’hui pour son festival annuel du raisin. Dans les années 1960, les efforts de quelques viticulteurs pionniers ont permis d’établir la culture à une échelle commerciale et grâce à quelques bons crus, ils sont parvenus à mettre la Belgique sur la carte mondiale des pays producteurs de vin.

NL Wijn in een koud klimaat

Tweehonderd jaar na Napoleons poging om België’s wijngaarden te vernietigen om de Franse wijnboeren te beschermen, raakt de reputatie van de Belgische wijnbouw eindelijk uit de schaduw van zijn illustere buur, zegt Jon Eldridge

België is over de hele wereld gekend voor zijn bier, maar binnenkort misschien ook voor een andere populaire alcoholische drank. De laatste tientallen jaren is de interesse voor wijn in België gegroeid, vooral nu het land steeds geschikter wordt voor de wijnproductie – een ‘voordeel’ van de klimaatverandering. Naarmate de trend in de richting van wijnen uit een koud klimaat groeit, wordt in België een steeds grotere oppervlakte voor de wijnbouw gebruikt.

Het Wijnkasteel is een pittoresk kasteel dat uit de 13de eeuw stamt, met 24 hectare wijngaard en een geplande verdere uitbreiding. Op het Wijnkasteel geeft Marleen Oris toe dat het moeilijk is de vooroordelen te overwinnen, maar ze heeft er alle vertrouwen in dat de kwaliteit van de wijnen, en niet de prijzen en de etiketten, het succes ervan zullen bepalen. Een belangrijke factor voor het overwinnen van vooroordelen was de publicatie van een boek over Belgische wijn in 2009, Belgische Wijngaarden, door Eric Boschman en Kris Van de Sompel. Miguel Saelens, eigenaar van de winkel Mig’s World Wines in Brussel, zegt dat de publicatie het bewijs is dat Belgische wijn “belangrijker en populairder is dan men zou denken”.

Terwijl Napoleons troepen de Belgische wijngaarden naar alle waarschijnlijkheid hebben verwoest, kwam de wijnbouw slechts in de loop van de vorige eeuw terug op in het land. In de jaren ’20 werden twee gemeenten net buiten Brussel – Overijse en Hoeilaart – de rijkste van België dankzij hun wijnranken, en Overijse is nog steeds gekend voor het jaarlijkse druivenfestival. De pogingen van enkele wijnbouwers die het voortouw namen om in de jaren ’60 aan commerciële wijnbouw te gaan doen, bracht een oogst van wijngaarden op die vandaag België op de kaart zet op het vlak van wijnbouw.

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