Vines were first cultivated in Belgium in the Middle Ages, around the 9th century. It is unlikely that vines had been grown before then, as the climate was unsuitable and Gaul was covered in thick forests, although the vineyards of Paris were mentioned in the 4th century.
From this time onwards, vines spread northwards and by the 8th century, the banks of the Rhine were covered with vineyards. The first attempts at viticulture in Belgium must have been made at the same time.
Vineyards were already well established in Amay: the Vivegnis vineyard, north of Liège, was already reputed to be old in the 9th century, as was the Hutois vineyard, which belonged in part to the Bishop of Liège. The banks of the Meuse were highly cultivated areas with well exposed hillsides.
In the 14th century, every town had its own vineyard, whether inside or outside the city walls. All these towns (Tournai, Louvain, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Thuin, Hal, Dinant, Namur, Tongeren, Huy, Liège) have left traces of their vineyards in local place names such as Wijnberg, mont des vignes, Wijngaard, aux vignes, Vivegnis, Vinalmont..., rue des Coteaux, etc.
The first people to grow vines were monks, because they needed a pure, healthy drink for their celebrations (i.e. a microbiologically sound drink that did not risk contaminating people with 'polluted' rainwater) and wine met their expectations.
That's why the first vineyards were owned by abbeys. Some of the more organised ones even owned vineyards far from their territory. Vines were also cultivated by private individuals and even lords, such as the Dukes of Burgundy, who owned vineyards in Brussels, Louvain, Aarschot, Namur and Mons.
Since then, the wine sector has developed considerably and the Belgians can be counted on to offer an ever-growing range of products, including :
In Wallonia : Domaine du Chenoy, Domaine W, Ruffus vignoble des Agaisses, Ry d'Argent, Château Bon Baron, Vins de Liège, Domaine du Chapitre, Château de Bioul, Château de Bousval, Domaine de Glabais, Domaine de Mellemont, Domaine Poirier du loup, Villers la vigne, Vin du pays de Herve
In Flanders : Wijndomein Entre-Deux-Monts, Genoels-Elderen, Clos d'Opleeuw, Wijndomein Aldeneyck, Schorpion, Chardonnay Meerdael
It's clear that the Belgian wine sector has a bright future ahead of it!