Wallonia's vineyards are gearing up for an early September grape harvest, with favourable weather conditions pointing to an excellent yield this year.
Vanessa Vaxelaire, president of the Association of Wallonian Winemakers and owner of the Bioul vineyard in Namur Province, noted the significance of the year. “They say years ending in five are always good, and this seems to be proving true,” she said.
Producers of sparkling wines, who dominate the Wallonian wine industry, will be the first to harvest. While Champagne vineyards in France began their harvest this Wednesday, Wallonian vineyards expect their pickers to start work from 1 September.
Like their French counterparts in the northeast, Wallonia's winemakers are optimistic. “The harvest looks magnificent. We’ve had ideal conditions—no spring frosts, warm summer days with periodic rain every ten days or so, ensuring the land never completely dried out,” said Vaxelaire.
She added that, barring severe weather events like hailstorms, this year’s grapes promise high quality and quantity.
At the Vin de Liège cooperative, the harvest will begin even earlier, starting next Monday. About 150,000 bottles will be produced exclusively from grapes grown near the winery in Heure-Le-Romain (Oupeye) and Bassenge. According to the cooperative’s statement on Wednesday, up to 50 pickers will work daily over approximately 20 days to collect the grapes.
The optimism for 2025 stands in stark contrast to the disastrous 2024 season, when late-April frosts devastated Wallonian vineyards. Losses were estimated at 72% in southern Belgium, with winemakers producing just 553,576 litres—three times less than in 2023.
Hainaut remains Belgium’s top wine-producing region. The province is known primarily for its sparkling white wines.
Across Wallonia, sparkling wines accounted for nearly 70% of total production last year.
