Belgian sparkling wine gets its own label: BelBul

Just as sparkling wine from Spain is called cava and wine from Italy dubbed prosecco, bubbles from Belgium will get their own moniker: BelBul.

Belgium’s answer to the champagne or crémant of France comes from the Walloon and Flemish winegrowers’ associations, with the aim of solidifying Belgium’s place in the high-end sparkling wine market.

“It's important, because on both sides of the country, we didn't know what to call our sparkling wines,” said Vanessa Vaxelaire, president of the Wallonia Winemakers' Association.

“I've heard people say: ‘I'm going to order a Belgian cava’. So we decided we needed a brand.”

The 22 producers currently participating in the label must meet a series of criteria, such as production on Belgian territory from grapes grown in Belgium, use of traditional winemaking methods and a recognised PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) designation.

“Our dream is that in the future, when someone walks into a wine shop, they'll ask: ‘Do you have any Belbul?’ or that we'll see a Belbul section on restaurant menus, just like for champagne,” said Arnaud Leroy of Vignoble des Agaises, welcoming the initiative.

François Michaux, wine merchant and importer in Thuillies, called the label a necessity.

“Most customers are not convinced by Belgian wine because they have tasted very little of it,” said Michaux.

“They still have this mistrust linked to the climate: ‘Can they make good wines in Belgium?’ The answer is yes, without any problem.”

Belgian wine production, particularly sparkling wine, has grown significantly in just a few years, thanks in part to soil and climate conditions that are particularly suited to the production of bubbly wines.

According to the Association des Vignerons de Wallonie and Belgische Wijnbouwers-Vlaanderen, more than 100 estates now produce sparkling wines.

And production is growing: while more than 2.1 million litres of wine were produced in Belgium in 2021, in 2022 the volume exceeded three million litres, nearly half of which was sparkling wine.

In 2023, yet another new record was set with 3.4 million litres, an increase of almost 13% over the previous year.

However, weather conditions in 2024 resulted in a poor harvest, with production not exceeding 1.2 million litres – a disappointing result partially offset by the exceptional yields of 2022 and 2023.