The second edition of the Gault&Millau Belgian Wine Guide has just been unveiled, and with it the distribution of its prestigious Belgian Wine Awards 2024. A way of offering a panorama of the best bottles in the country, while Belgian wine has more than ever on the rise. Yes, the country of beer now occupies a pride of place alongside its French neighbor, which had long retained the monopoly.
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Belgian wine is on the rise
Indeed, the Kingdom’s wine estates are increasing from year to year. With nearly 3.5 million liters produced, the year 2023 broke records. Some Belgian wines are even found on the tables of starred restaurants. “Our country now has more than 290 registered winegrowers who together farm some 890 hectares of vines. In addition to this quantitative growth, the guide notes an increase in quality, the numerous Belgian Wine Awards being a concrete reflection of this”writes Gault&Millau on the occasion of the release of the second edition of its wine guide. “Belgium is thus increasingly asserting itself as a leading wine country”.
Needless to say, of course, that global warming unfortunately plays a leading role. The number of grape varieties that it will be possible to cultivate on Belgian territory will undeniably increase over the years. Today, if winegrowers mainly produce sparkling wine and white wine, red wine could one day become established with the changing climate.
25 wines received the Belgian Wine Award 2024
As proof, the second edition of the Gault&Millau Wine Guide Belgium welcomes 25 additional domains and 44 new references this year, bringing the total to 107 domains and 216 wines. Among these references, 55 wines received a “coup de coeur” label, of which 25 wines received a Belgian Wine Award 2024. We see an economic sector in full evolution, driven by the knowledge, expertise, dynamism and passion of convinced winegrowers. “Current events also teach them that viticulture focused on principles of quality and sustainable development remains particularly vulnerable”explains the guide. “Those who work outdoors and are closely linked to the land must also endure the vagaries of the current climate”. CEO Marc Declerck has already announced that “Early frosts and incessant rain will unfortunately have an impact on the 2024 vintage.”
While waiting for the release of the third edition, here are the 25 wines that received a Belgian Wine Award 2024. After tasting 400 wines, the sommeliers’ vote listed nearly 55 favorites. A second tasting then made it possible to identify the following 25 Awards:
Sparkling wines:
Domaine du Chant d’Eole, Chant d’Eole Grand Cru 2018 (Hainaut)
Domaine Cuvelier, BizJoe Extra Brut 2019 (Limbourg)
Scorpion, Black Extra Brut 2017 (Limbourg)
Vandersteene wine estate, Blanc de Noirs Brut 2022 (Flandre orientale)
Agaises Vineyard, Ruffus Chardonnay Brut 2021 (Hainaut)
Liège Wine, L’insoumise Brut 2022 (Liège)
Domaine W, Brut de Brabant Réserve, Cuvée Folon 2020 (Wallon Brabant)
White wines:
Crutzberg, Chardonnay Barrique 2022 (Limburg)
Entre-Deux-Monts, Molenberg Heritage Collection 2022 (West Flanders)
La Falize, Chardonnay 2021 (Namur)
Wine Castle Genoels-Elderen, Chardonnay Gold 2019 (Limbourg)
Gloire de Duras, Pinot Gris Barrique 2022 (Limburg)
Den Nachtegael, Noëlla Chardonnay Barrique 2022 (West Flanders)
Wijndomein Near Ghent, Chardonnay Barrique 2021 (East Flanders)
Winery Ravenstein, Chardonnay Klytbosch Barrique 2022 (Flandre occidentale)
Winery, Kontreir IIX 2022 (Antwerp)
Red wines:
Château Bon Baron, Trésor Pinot Noir 2017 (Namur)
Château Bon Baron, Acolon 2019 (Namur)
Château de Bousval vineyard, Ange ou Démon 2022 (Walloon Brabant)
Mikken Urban Winery, Monaco 2022 (Occidental Flanders)
Ravenstein wine estate, Acolon 2021 (Flandre occidentale)
Sparkling rosé wine:
Château Bon Baron, La Baronne Brut Nature 2021 (Namur)
Wijndomein Hoogenhove, Polyd’or Rosé 2021 (Flandre occidentale)
Vin rosé:
Verlooy Winery, Rossela 2022 (Anvers)
Semi-dry wine:
Liège Wine, Notes Blanches 2022 (Liège)
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