Wine, world cultural heritage and water sports

Eastern Belgium is a small sunny island where it rains very little. That's why viticulture works so well here. The dusty soil on which we stand was once geologically seabed, later sandbank. Today it consists of the typical elements of such formations: Limestone, rusting iron sandstone, pebbles, sometimes clay. All of these are good foundations for wines such as his red Chansaar. The cuvée of Pinot Noir and the robust Piwi variety Cabernet Dorsa has finesse and a clear iron flavour.

The "Kontreir", on the other hand, consists of white Pinot varieties and exotic varieties such as Phoenix and Orleans. "Two vintages," Patrick Nijs explains the production, "fermented separately with wild yeasts and spontaneous malolactic fermentation." The wine has a soft melting texture and tastes of juicy apples, ripe pineapple and iron again. The acidity is fresh, the tannins are ripe. "It will be perfect in five years," he enthuses. Like some of his colleagues, Nijs is a likeable mix of career changer and lone wolf. He runs the cellar of his Wijnfaktorei in Antwerp, where he also runs a wine shop. This combination allows him to produce wine on a small scale - and his visitors are shown the two sides of Belgium.

World Heritage Site and Chardonnay

A walk or boat trip through Bruges is like travelling into a fairy tale through an intricate network of tree-lined canals, cobbled streets and red gothic brick facades that look like gingerbread houses. No wonder Flemish painting was invented here and the entire historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For short breaks, you can enjoy an excellent beer anywhere, for more in-depth research a visit to Spa or Waterloo.

One advantage of Belgium is that visitors are rarely more than 200 kilometres away. No matter where you are, the next destination is quickly reached, for example Clos d'Opleeuw, which "really used to be a castle garden," asserts owner Peter Colemont. Within its walls, the long-time Burgundy importer took up the vine shears himself at some point and produced a few thousand bottles of Chardonnay, which Jancis Robinson has already praised.

Things are a little different at Vandeurzen. The modern glass-walled hall is lined with gleaming stainless steel tanks and the associated technology that you would normally expect to find at top wineries. The first impression is not deceptive: the Vandeurzen family has become one of the richest in the country with software and testing equipment developments. "We wanted it to be extraordinary," explains Bert Vandeurzen, which is why he invested heavily. In the stainless steel towers, "the temperature is controlled down to a tenth of a degree." Varieties from Albarinho to Blaufränkisch and Tempranillo to Grüner Veltliner lie dormant inside. However, a series with Chardonnay is exciting. In steel tanks, the variety develops crystal-clear varietal flavours such as apple, pear and peach. The French oak gives it elegance, while the coarse-pored American wood makes it luscious.

Wineries and vast gravel pits

Karel Henckens has known this for a long time. The son of a fruit grower, he "grew up among Jonagold and Conférence pears" and recognised the region's potential almost 30 years ago. His vineyards are located in Maseik directly on the Meuse, which separates the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg. The river flows in wide loops that end in lakes. In the middle of the 20th century, the former gravel pits supplied the material for the vital dykes along the Dutch coast. Today, water sports enthusiasts have a lot of fun on these "maasplassen", while the Meuse deposits sediment and pebbles at the bottom that it washes up from the Ardennes.

Hencken runs his Wijndomein Aldeneyck with an event programme, guided tours and a large restaurant. The large terrace is fully occupied in the good weather today. A few doll's house villages, such as Thorn, line the banks of the Meuse. The area is a favourite excursion destination for Belgians. Karel Hencken's Pinot Gris shows a lot of mineral finesse. "20-year-old vines," he explains succinctly. That's important here: in the cool climate, winegrowers only expect good quality after seven or even ten years. Elsewhere, four is enough. Pinot varieties The grapes, including Chardonnay and Auxerrois, find a good home on the alluvial soils. Hencken learnt viticulture on the Moselle, worked in France and, like many of his colleagues, looked for better addresses in other wine countries. "Finer acidity than the French," he says, "but a little more barrique and malo than the Germans accept." Belgium has style.