Belgium will be eternally linked to its famous beer, however wine production is gaining momentum as a result of climate change and rising temperatures.
1. Wine production
Wine production in Belgium is growing year by year both in prestige and quality, with the country having recorded a 25% increase in the number of winemakers, from 154 in 2019 to 198 in 2020.
Today we have many more hours of sunshine than in the past. As a result, the grapes are of higher quality and winegrowers can make different types of wine.
Lodewijk Waes, chairman of the non-profit organisation Belgian Wine Growers, told De Morgen
According to the Belga News Agency, climate change has disrupted traditional methods of winemaking and has seen production in Belgium quadruple in the last 10 years. More sun and rising temperatures turned Belgium into a genuine ‘wine country’, which has seen a boost in both demand and production of wine.
The difference of production volume over the nearly past 10 years speaks for itself. In 2012, 229,000 litres of wine were made in Belgium. In 2021, that figure rocketed to 1,350,000 with vineyards in the country now occupying 695 hectares, up from 153 in 2012.
Most of the wine produced is sold on the domestic market, but Waes reported an increase in interest in wine made in traditionally colder countries.
2. Climate change
According to wine producers, climate change is impacting the business in southern Europe, a region strongly dominated by vineyards.
The heat makes it difficult in Spain and the south of France to grow grapes in a normal way. High temperatures result in a sugar explosion and alcohol percentages of 15 or 16%. There are techniques to reduce that percentage, but that also lowers the quality. You often get heavy, plump wines.
Lodewijk Waes, chairman of the non-profit organisation Belgian Wine Growers
Despite the opportunity presented by climate change to Belgian wine producers, the country experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, including freezing temperatures early in spring. Still, winemakers haven’t been put off and the number of wines produced each year keeps growing.
