Belgians are not only great consumers of wine, but they are also increasingly producing the goods themselves, so much so that gastronomic guide Gault&Millau has published its first listing of the country's wines.
What was once mainly a recreational activity in Belgium, there are 259 winegrowers in Belgium. Viniculture has rapidly become an attractive business venture, driven mainly by climate change which has made the country more suitable for wine production.
With the country's vineyards covering a rising share of ground (now almost 1,000 hectares), producing a record amount of wine, and the ever-increasing quality of most of the country's wines, it was about time a Gault&Millau guide was devoted to this trade.
Limburg leading
The first edition of the guide on Belgian wine, presented in Brussels on Monday, lists 82 estates, charting the flourishing work of Belgian winemakers. It includes 172 wines, chosen by the Yellow Guide jury, made up of some 30 sommeliers who blind-tasted 300 Belgian wines.
Of this grand total, 42 wines have been listed as "favourites" or "coups de coeur," a distinction that has long graced the guide's editions devoted to gastronomy, 18 of which were honoured with a Belgian Wine Award 2023 in five categories.
Both quantitatively and qualitatively, the province of Limburg is in the leading position, as 22 domains are registered here, with 12 of its wines being awarded "coups de coeur" and five being awarded.
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The 228-page guide, which wine lovers can now purchase for €25.95, also focuses on the different grape varieties grown in Belgium and examines the terroir, climate, history of Belgian wine and the different labels to denote their place of origin, quality, and style.
