Wine just over the border

In Limburg, wine lovers on both sides of the border get their money's worth. Especially on the Flemish side, they know better than anyone how to please the 'Dutch'.
Text: Château Petri | Image: Unsplash

If you cross the border into Belgium, you won't see a barrier or border control. But you immediately notice that you are abroad: different license plates on the cars and different architecture in the city. Just ten minutes from Maastricht, you already feel far away from home. Especially when you arrive at the Wine Castle Genoels-Elderen in Riemst. The Rennes family has been taking care of the centuries-old castle since 1990 and renovated it to its former glory. The botanical garden with rare trees and the rose garden were restored to their former glory. But more importantly, the castle is surrounded by 22 hectares of Belgium's oldest and largest vineyards. There, vines of pinot noir and chardonnay stand on chalky loamy soil, distributed across five different plots around the wine castle. Its wines fall under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Haspengouw and Flemish sparkling quality wine. 

Gone was the vineyard

When the Rennes family bought the wine castle in 1990, however, there was virtually no viticulture left on the Limburg plains or hills. Castle lord Jaap Rennes dreamed of restoring the surrounding vineyards to their original glory, especially when soil analysis showed that the soil around the castle was very suitable for wine production. Indeed, it had the same characteristics as Burgundy. The choice of grape varieties was therefore obvious. The brand-new winemakers chose chardonnay and pinot noir. Dochter Joyce was the designated person to deal with vinification. The then 17-year-old so left for France to study oenology, while her father already started planting grapes. The first harvest was a reality in 1995 and they have always stuck to their first choice of burgundy varieties. Today, the château one of the absolute pioneers of quality Belgian wine. The family has now expanded: son-in-law Stefan Kékkö manages the vineyards together with their son. Daughter Julia deals with visitors to the beautiful château, among other things.