In Belgium, wine turns to gold

17/03/2017

For the first time since the creation of the French "Vinalies Internationales" contest, a Belgian wine has won a gold medal in Paris. The winner is a medium-dry white wine called "Notes Blanches 2015". The award from the Union des Œnologues de France is a great encouragement for Liege winemakers.

Les Vinalies was created in 1994, on the initiative of the Union des Œnologues de France, a professional syndicate. Organised from 24 to 28 February, the contest brought together 150 wine tasters from about forty countries. More than 3,500 samples from around the world were tested and commented in order to award 325 gold medals and 725 silver medals.

The rewarded wine, a blend of Muscaris and Solaris grape varieties, is produced by the "Vin de Liège" cooperative, established at the gateway to Liege in Heure-le-Romain (Oupeye) since 21 December 2010. Despite the difficult conditions for growing vines in Belgium owing to the climate and the popularity of beer, it is not completely impossible, although it remains fairly unknown. However, there have been several Belgian AOC wines for a number of years, and there are about a hundred Belgian winemakers spread over Flanders and Wallonia.