Sommeliers taste 173 Belgian wines

Supreme concentration in Ter Groene Poorte in Bruges. A jury of 60 professional sommeliers from all over the country is presented with the wines for blind tasting and awarding points. Among them also Charlotte Crul, sommelier from Knokke Heist. “It was a bit more difficult in red than in white. In white, the quality has definitely improved. I have tasted very nice structures, very nice aging potential, especially on acidity and ripe fruit, very pleasant, actually really complete styles comparable to other regions.”

The annual competition is considered a quality label. Bram Lemmens, Association of Flemish Sommeliers: “Every year the wines we make are very good, professional and moreover – and that is very important to me – also really Belgian. We should no longer compare with France or another country. We make Belgian signature wines.”

Ter Groene Poorte is also supplying more and more sommeliers, because the training is on the rise. Iris Cornette, Hotel School Ter Groene Poorte Bruges: “We had a very good intake this year. And in our specialization year sommelier we also started this year with 14 students. That is a great class to start this specialization year.”