2019 excellent year for Belgian sparkling wine
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- januari 2, 2020
- 2 mins read
The quality of Belgian wine from 2019 is better than average and even excellent for Belgian sparkling wine. Thanks to the weather gods. The quantity, meaning the number of liters, will also be high. This is according to the Belgian Winemakers Association.
By: Nona Verhaeghe for VRT News
First the less good news. The record of last year, when almost two million liters of Belgian wine were produced, cannot be matched. 2018 was indeed an absolute top year. „I estimate that our production will be ten to fifteen percent lower than last year,” says Lodewijk Waes. Waes is chairman of the Belgian Winemakers Association, which claims to represent 85 percent of Belgian winemakers.
Optimal conditions
But the quality is there. Especially for sparkling wine, for which the grapes are harvested earlier in the year, it’s an excellent year. „This is due to the dry and warm weather we had until mid-September, which meant there were no fungal diseases. The sugars could also develop well. The early grape varieties were harvested in early September under optimal conditions, with almost perfect sugar and acid levels,” says Waes.
The grapes for the other wines, the regular or „still” wines, white and red, still needed to ripen further. And from mid-September, the weather became more variable, so the grapes for the still wines couldn’t reach absolute top quality. But Waes still speaks of a „better than average year” for Belgian still wines, due to the good weather conditions earlier in the year.
Older and better
The quality of Belgian wines is also generally increasing because the vines are getting older and because the winemakers are gaining more experience. „Belgian winemakers have also heavily invested in modern techniques in recent years,” says Waes. „This includes, for example, double-walled tanks that are cooled, or modern pressing installations.”
Belgian wines are more expensive than those from other European countries. „This is due to higher excise duties and the higher cost of labor here,” explains Lodewijk Waes. „Moreover, we don’t (always) have the favorable weather conditions they have in Italy or Spain, which allows those countries to achieve much higher production yields.”
Growing sector
Belgium primarily produces sparkling wine and white wine, and to a lesser extent red wine. Rosé is only a very small part of the market. According to the Belgian Winemakers Association, ten years ago there was an area of vineyards of 90 hectares, which has now increased to 400 hectares. „This is an important sector, so we hope that the government will appreciate and help us in the future, for example with lower excise duties,” concludes Waes.
