{"id":6222,"date":"2024-05-30T14:03:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T12:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charleroi-metropole.be\/2020\/09\/22\/vin-local\/"},"modified":"2021-03-24T23:44:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T21:44:14","slug":"meeting-the-local-wine-growers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charleroi-metropole.be\/en\/decouvrir\/meeting-the-local-wine-growers\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting the local wine growers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover the wine-growing areas around the Charleroi Metropolitan Area where the passion of a handful of growers is increasingly winning over the trained palates of connoisseurs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More and more Metropolitans are delving back into our wine-growing past. Here on home soil, our first vines date back to the 8th century and by the 14th century the majority of Belgian settlements had their own vineyards. The practice was then discontinued to make way for beer, due to the cooler climate and the development of transport links which made it easier to import this divine nectar.<\/p>\n

In the Charleroi Metropolitan Area, wine production is booming; every year, more and more hectares are being planted with vines, and some amateur wine growers are making it their profession.<\/p>\n

The Clos des Zouaves estate in Thuin<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Bierc\u00e9e Distillery<\/a>\u00a0planted 1000 vines around Thuin\u2019s hanging gardens in 2001. The estate\u2019s name pays homage to the Zouaves in the Company of Saint-Roch from Thuin. The first harvest, 2 years later, produced no fewer than 500 bottles.<\/p>\n

In 2011, the not-for-profit association \u201cLe vignoble thudinien\u201d took over the vines and started managing the harvests and wine-making process. They maintain the vines in a natural way by planting white clover (locks in moisture), reed beds (ward off aphid attacks) and using Bordeaux mixture.<\/p>\n