Corona brought everything nearer. Also our focus on wines from the Netherlands and Belgium, because if you wanted wine festivals, you travelled better to Groesbeek and Leuven than to Koblenz or Verona. During such a visit, you could observe that we are gradually becoming real wine countries. - TEXT MAGDA VAN DER RIJST | IMAGE EDITORS
Pioneers of the low countries
The Low Countries offered solace during the lockdowns. After the very strictest closures, we stopped going to faraway wine regions and took wine tours in our own country and that of our close neighbours. 'Finally,' you could hear the winemakers sigh. At last, lovers from the city also tasted that not only the wine you get from far away can be delicious. Because it was a bit like that. People who live near a Dutch or Belgian winery have long known that there is good stuff to be had there. For others, it remained unknown and, unfairly, of a dubious level. Times are changing and the pace is fast.
Growth
When it comes to viticulture and the quality of wines, a lot has happened in the last 20-30 years. Just take the size. In the Netherlands, it rose from 35 hectares to just under 300 between 2003 and now. In Belgium, plantings were around 165 hectares around 2010 and, according to the most recent data, the total area is now around 715 hectares. Because the vine needs time to take root and yield grapes from which actual wine can be made, not every hectare produces wine yet, but the vines are in the ground.
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