On June 10th we were delighted to host our second workshop on “Reframing (Viti)Cultural Landscapes” at the Centrum Agrarische Geschiedenis (CAG) as part of the Convivium. eu project. This inspiring and animated afternoon brought together diverse stakeholders from researchers, winemakers, heritage and tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, and wine fair organizers.

Our first round table “Viticulture for Tomorrow” linked to Belgium as an emerging wine-producing region and brought together speakersAnouck Stalport of the Haute Ecole de Condorcet, Aude Isnard of The Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, and Vicky Corbeels of CruDesign and the project EMCOCLIMViti.

Our second roundtable “Tradition and Transformation” linked to cultural practices, changing tastes and trends, and the tension between new wine styles, hybrids, and old vines with natural wine salon Grrrabuge! (https://lnkd.in/eiD8vT9f) organizers Hadrien Kagan and Sylvain Trouvé and Anneleen Straetemans of Nova Radix.

Finally, we had the pleasure of learning about wine making approaches, sustainability, agroforestry, and diversification through tourism, hospitality and education, from an inspiring group of winemakers at the domains Antidoot – Wilde Fermenten, Domaine W, Servaas Blockeel Wijngaard Lijsternest, Proefwijngaarden “Kessthor”, Maxim Geunis of Optimbulles, Dolf Ruigt of Wijndomein Watersley, andWijndomein Valke Vleug where each presentation was followed by a tasting to illustrate the philosophy of each estate. This event allowed us to see the momentum and diversity of initiatives, research projects, and commitment to sustainability across Belgium and the Netherlands, and will lead to a collective reflection document and policy recommendation to help solidify Belgium as a leader in ecological viticulture!

Thank you especially to Yves Segers, Chantal Bisschop, Kristel Janssens, and Greet Draye of the CAG and co-organizer Sergio Rebelo, as well as Tibaut Wets and Toerisme Vlaanderen – VISITFLANDERS, and Paulo Martins for the lovely video stills.

The event was co-organized by Jenny Herman (Panthéon-Sorbonne) Sérgio Rebelo (Atelier Sérgio Rebelo) and the Centre for Agrarian History (CAG).