Belgian viticulture still on the rise, Gault&Millau wine guide shows

The second edition of the Gault&Millau Wine Guide Belgium lists 25 more winegrowing domains and 44 more wines than last year’s guide. In addition to a quantitative growth of Belgian viticulture, the guide also notes an increase in quality.

The guide, which was presented at the Maison de la Poste in Brussels, compiles the best wines from the best Belgian winegrowing domains. The addition of 25 domains and 44 wines brings the total to 107 domains and 216 wines. Belgium has more than 290 registered winegrowers who together cultivate around 890 hectares of vineyards.

A total of 55 wines received a "coup de cœur’"label and, of these, 25 won a Belgian Wine Award 2024. West Flanders is the leading province with six awards, ahead of Limburg with five awards. Namur obtained four awards and Flemish Brabant, Hainaut, East Flanders, Antwerp and Liège received two each.

The wine experts note future-proof growth for Belgian viticulture. "Knowledge, expertise, drive and passion are the engines behind the current momentum of this rapidly evolving economic sector," said Gault&Millau CEO Marc Declerck.

Early frosts and heavy rain showers will impact the wines of 2024, however, according to Declerck. “Current events demonstrate that viticulture driven by qualitative and sustainable principles remains particularly vulnerable,” he said. “Those who are working in the open nature and are connected to the terroir must also endure the vagaries of today's volatile climate."

​_{Presentation of the second edition of the Gault&Millau Wine Guide Belgium © BELGA PHOTO GREGORY IENCO}