Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch België, French Belgique) in Western Europe with its capital Brussels covers 30,688 km². It lies between the North Sea and the Ardennes and borders the Netherlands to the north, Germany and Luxembourg to the east and France to the south. The north of the country with the Flemings is Dutch-speaking, the south with the Walloons is French-speaking. Standard German and West Middle German dialects are widespread in East Belgium. Together with the neighbouring state of Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the Benelux countries are formed.

History

Viticulture in Belgium has a long tradition despite its minor economic importance. In the 9th century, under Emperor Charlemagne (742-814), wine was cultivated by monks in southern Belgium. There were vineyards along the Meuse (which was also an important transport route) around Antwerp, Brabant, Hainaut, Liège and Naumur. Even in the early Middle Ages, wines from Flanders (today the two provinces of East and West Flanders, the remaining part is in France) were highly valued and the centre of the northern European wine trade. In the 15th century, due to climatic changes associated with the Little Ice Age and competition from Burgundy, viticulture was abandoned.

Viticulture

In the 1970s, vineyards were planted again for the first time. Belgian wine law closely follows that of neighbouring France. There are some AOC quality wine areas (Kwaliteitswijn) and country wine areas (Landwijn). In the Flanders region, these are Hagelland, Haspengouw, Heuveland and Maasvallei Limburg (together with the Netherlands). In the Walloon region, these are Côtes de Sambre et Meuse, and the two sparkling wines Crémant de Wallonie and Vin mousseux de qualité de Wallonie. The country wines Vin de pays des jardins de Wallonie (Wallonia) and Vin de Pays Flamand (Flanders) can each be produced in the entire region. Certain grape varieties are permitted for each AOC. These are the white wine varieties Auxerrois, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Optima, Ortega, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Schönburger, Siegerrebe and Würzer as well as the red wine varieties Domina, Dornfelder, Gamay, Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) and Pinot Noir.

Table grapes

The cultivation of table grapes is of great importance. In 1862, Felix Sohie established the cultivation of grapes under glass in Huldenberg. Today, there are thousands of greenhouses where such grapes as Alphonse Lavallée and Leopold III are grown. The wine production volume is around 7,000 hectolitres. The largest winery is Wijnkasteel Genoels-Elderen. However, Belgium's wine needs are mainly met by imports from France.

Map: © Goruma
Torgny: by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Belgium