According to popular belief, the stone wall of Wezemaal goes back to the Middle Ages. Records indeed prove that count Arnold of Wezemaal owned a vineyard back in 1254. Wine growing in the region might even go back as far as the 11th century.
From the 14th to the 16th century, cultivation of wine in the Hageland had its ups and downs. It stopped abruptly in 1570. Competition from the (better) German and French wines, the success of hop beers and a change in climate all contributed to this decline.
From then on, no wine was grown, until J F Audoor, a civil servant from Brussels, obtains permission from the Count of Ursel to start a vineyard. He recruits a viticulturist from Hoei to establish a 6 ha vineyard in 1817. By 1834, already 32 ha are being cultivated. In 1828, a record production of 32500 liter is achieved.
Both King Willem I (before 1830) and King Leopold I (after Belgium’s independence) looked favourably on wine cultivation in Wezemaal, but nevertheless, production stopped again in 1845.
Except for a timid attempt by Adolf Schuler in the thirties, Wezemaal was again without wine culture for well over a century. In 1982, a group of local enthusiasts, with strong support from the municipality, established the association ‘Steenen Muur’ and started 3 vineyards for a total of 0.7 ha. Today, Wezemaal, part of Rotselaar, aims to profile itself as a wine village in Flanders.
So what’s the story behind the wall? It’s not medieval. Instead, it’s a relatively new construction dating from 1814 (one year before the battle of Waterloo). It was constructed to protect the southern slope of the Wijngaardberg (literally “Vineyard Hill”) against the cold north wind. As secondary benefits, it served to keep unwanted animals out, and acted as a demarcation line. The wall was constructed by stapling iron sandstone found on the hill.
Why the need for this wall? At the time, it was believed that wine could not be grown above 50 degrees latitude. Wezemaal is at 51 degrees (approximate latitude of Brussels, Louvain, Cologne), which made its vineyards the most northern ones in Europe in the 19th century.
Despite its northern location, the Wezemaal Wijngaardberg combines several ideal conditions. The southern slope optimally captures sunlights, while the iron sandstones underground store heat that they slowly release at night, so that the soil does not cool down too much. Cool air rolls down the hill and the wind quickly blows morning dew away. These conditions create a suitable microclimate.
Meanwhile, there are plenty more vineyards even further north of Wezemaal, e.g. in the Netherlands, and Wezemaal is no longer Europe’s most northern vineyard. Are these growing wine cultures in Belgium, Netherlands and Southern England facilitated by climate change?
The wall can be visited by a 3 km walk, which takes you through the middle of the vineyards. The wall itself is 1546 m long, and was originally 1.7 meters wide and up to 2 meters tall. Meanwhile, many stretches of the wall are badly damaged, and vegetation has taken over much of the function of the wall. There is also a longer, 8 km walk available. Both walks are clearly signposted.
The short walk starts at the chapel in the Beninkstraat in Rotselaar. The long walk starts at the visitor centre for the wine in the region.
More information
- Visitor center: http://www.rotselaar.be/Index.aspx?SGREF=2734&CREF=19065 (EN-FR-DE)
- Steenen Muur: http://www.steenenmuur.be/ (Flemish only)
- Nearby: Horst Castle: http://www.kasteelvanhorst.be (Flemish only)
