Viticulture in West Flanders Province has grown significantly in recent years. Figures from Flemish farm minister Jo Brouns (Christian democrat) show that our most westerly province has seen the biggest surge in new wine growers. The figures also indicate that the area covered by vines has increased significantly. However, this success story has a downside for the environment: winegrowers use pesticides very intensively and that puts pressure on the environment.
West Flanders sees unprecedented expansion of wine industry thanks to global warming
Colin Clapson
Published:
The first grapevines in West Flanders were planted in the municipality of Heuvelland in 1996. Now, almost 30 years later, there are already 63 winegrowers operating in West Flanders, compared to only 27 in 2020.
Last year, the 63 West Flemish winegrowers cultivated an area of 155 hectares of vines. That is three times as much as in 2020. The vines are located in Heuvelland and on the slopes of the municipality of Zonnebeke and the town of Tielt.
More Flemish wine because the climate is warmer
‘Compared to 1996, the climate has changed enormously,’ says sommelier José Lemahieu, who hails from Ieper and is keen to explain the success of viticulture in Flanders. ‘Take the Riesling grape, for example: in 1996, it couldn't ripen on the Monteberg in Heuvelland. Now Riesling can ripen well there.’
‘To grow grapes, you need an average annual temperature of more than 10 degrees Celsius and less than 20 degrees. Years ago, the average annual temperature in Flanders was just over 10 degrees. And in December, according to the latest figures from the Met Office, it is already 12 degrees Celsius, a remarkable increase.’
Lemahieu sees another reason for the success of West Flemish viticulture: ‘Flemish investors used to go to the Bordeaux region of France to invest in vineyards. Now Flemish entrepreneurs and wealthy families are investing in vineyards here. This allows for economies of scale. And professionalisation: more and more the industry is being automated.’
Major environmental impact due to intensive use of pesticides
There is also a downside to this success. In viticulture, as in potato cultivation, large quantities of pesticides are used to prevent fungi on the plants. When pesticides break down, they produce triazoles. A triazole is a highly resistant chemical compound. The effects on our health are not yet fully known, but at high doses and with prolonged exposure, they may be hormone-disrupting or even carcinogenic.
These triazoles end up in our streams via rainwater on the fields. And the streams in the southern Westhoek region serve as supply streams for the drinking water production centres in the towns of Ieper and Diksmuide. However, it is almost impossible to filter the harmful triazoles out of drinking water. If the concentrations in surface water are too high, it cannot be used to produce high-quality Flemish drinking water.