Maasvallei Limburg

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The wine-growing area lies within the alluvial plain of the gravelly Meuse, where the subsoil consists of a gravel bed deposited by sedimentation from the Jura and the Ardennes.
• The gravel bed is 5 to 15 metres thick and is covered on top by a thick layer of loam, which made the region agriculturally attractive.
• The Meuse gravel mainly contains limestone, quartz and flint, and the vine roots pass through the gravel bed down to the groundwater level, where most of the minerals are found.
• The Kempen Plateau shields the Meuse valley behind it from excessive rainfall, creating a sheltered, warmer and drier microclimate.
• The bodies of water in the residual gravel pools have a moderating effect on temperature and provide excellent ventilation, allowing the canopy to dry more quickly.

• Already in the early Middle Ages, wine grapes were grown in the abbeys along the Meuse, with historical writings referring to modest wine production within the abbey walls.
• Since the middle of the last century, the area has been further shaped by human activity through gravel extraction and the creation of the Maasplassen, which distinguishes the wines of this appellation of origin from other appellations.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Belgium

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-BE+NL-02172
• Official trade body site — Belgische Wijnbouwers vzw