Top 100 wines of Belgium - Page 3

Discover the top 100 best wines of Belgium as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Belgium and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Belgium

The Belgian market is one of the most successful in France/bordeaux">Bordeaux, and has also played a key role in dictating the 1855 classifications of the Médoc and Graves. Many of the great estates in Bordeaux are - or have been - owned by Belgian wine merchants. For example, one branch of the Flemish Thienpoint family (Jacques) owns Le Pin, while another (his cousin Alexandre) owns Vieux Château Certan. Despite this strong focus on cereal-based drinks, Belgium also has a number of vineyards.

Its annual wine production would easily fit into a single storage Tank in one of the largest vineyards in Australia or the United States, and has not yet been exported on any scale. Most of the wine produced in Belgium is made by individuals for home consumption. The white Grape varieties preferred by Belgian winemakers are Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from across the border in France, and Kerner, Optima and Muller-Thurgau from neighbouring Germany. The few red wines produced are from a handful of Pinot Noir and Dornfelder grapes.

The meeting point of the Moselle and Rhine, two of Europe's great wine rivers, Lies just 80 kilometres east of Belgium's eastern border. It is a very close point, but on the other side of the Ardennes. The Moselle forms the eastern border of Luxembourg, Belgium's small neighbour, whose per capita wine production is much higher. The capital of the Champagne region, Reims, is at the same distance from the southern border of Belgium.

Discover the grape variety: Regent

A complex interspecific cross between the diana (sylvaner x Müller-Thurgau) and the chambourcin obtained in Germany in 1967 by Gerhardt Alleweldt. It can be found in Quebec (Canada), Belgium and Switzerland, but is little known in France. It should be noted that Regent, a monogenic variety, which is nevertheless resistant to certain cryptogamic diseases, was "bypassed" in 2010 by a less resistant strain of mildew, which was also the case for bianca.

Food and wine pairing with a wine of Belgium

wines from the region of Belgium go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of chicken in red wine, potato and smoked salmon gratin or light tuna-tomato quiche (without cream).

Organoleptic analysis of wine of Belgium

On the nose in the region of Belgium often reveals types of flavors of red fruit, tree fruit or citrus fruit and sometimes also flavors of oak, spices or black fruit.

News from the vineyard of Belgium

Champagne: Getting ready for 2050

The arrival of Covid and the ensuing lockdown restrictions had serious repercussions in the hospitality sector and severely disrupted supply chains, particularly in the drinks sector. Champagne, one of the world’s most recognisable and exported wines, was severely hit by travelling restrictions – which initially impacted the luxury sector Champagne dominates – and the closing of on-trade outlets. The 2020 slump As a result, in 2020, Champagne sales plummeted; a 10% decrease year-on-year in March ...

Bordeaux wine sales to US see ‘spectacular recovery’

Bordeaux wine sales to the US reached a new record in 2021, jumping 67% to €349m ($390m), the Bordeaux wine council (CIVB) announced this week. A freeze on additional import tariffs and buyers’ thirst for highly-rated recent vintages helped Bordeaux to a ‘spectacular recovery’ in terms of shipments to the US, it said. Exports rose by 24% in volume last year to 247,000 hectolitres, equivalent to 33 million bottles. While reds dominate, the US has also become the biggest market for Bordeaux white ...

Cava D.O. – Character and quality founded in tradition

In spite of growing worldwide demand for bubbles, recent challenges arising from the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have put the brakes on consumers’ willingness to spend on non-essential products. In search of new and imaginative ways of rising to the challenge, Cava producers believe that while it can be tough for consumers to fork out for fizz, they can continue to enjoy ‘the little luxuries of life’ by purchasing reasonably priced Cava. This isn’t to suggest going for the cheapest op ...

Top wines in regions and sub-regions of Belgium