Following the development of the Route des Vins Wahlwiller-Eys last year, three new signposted wine routes have been launched recently: Route des Vins Noorbeek, Route des Vins Ubachsberg and Route des Vins Winthagen. With these educational routes, visitors can now become even more familiar with South Limburg wine. Visit Zuid-Limburg wants to put South Limburg as a wine region on the map for both guests and residents and thus promote high-quality tourism.
Noorbeek vineyard walk
In recent years Noorbeek has developed into a real wine village with seven vineyards. Noorbeek even has a distillery that produces distillates from the grape skins of various vineyards. During the 8-kilometre Vineyard Walk, you pass all seven vineyards, views, and many wine facts. Information boards at the vineyards of Wijndomein Heerenhuys der Pley, Wijndomein Mergelsberg and Les Dames et du Vin - introduce the visitor to their business, terroir, grape varieties, wine types and the wine-making process. The signposted route has been developed in cooperation with the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten and the Association for Winegrowing in Noorbeek.
"In our Cittaslow municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, 'exercise' is very important for our health. That is why we strive to have a 'walk around the block' in every residential area. The development of viticulture in Noorbeek called for a wine walk. That is why we can now proudly present the vineyard walk in Noorbeek" says Gerry Jacobs, alderman of the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten.
Route des Vins Land of Lime
In cooperation with the Voerendaal municipality and Land van Kalk, two wine routes in the municipality were launched during the Voerendaal Summer Festival. Alderman Peter Thomas states: "You can literally and figuratively taste the Land of Kalk. With these new wine routes, we offer our guests and residents the ideal opportunity to discover this beautiful part of the South Limburg landscape. Many people already know the area, because good wine needs no introduction, but we offer even more people the chance to taste it!
Around Ubachsberg, the South Limburg wine of Wijngoed Fromberg, Wijngaard St. Martinus location Langeberg and Domaine Salamander can be discovered through a 12-kilometre wine route. The wine route connects to the Route des Vins Wahlwiller-Eys, which was developed a year earlier. On the route, Wijngaard St. Martinus (Langeberg location) will also be the setting for Wijnrestaurant op het land until 4 October, a pop-up restaurant serving regional wines and products.
Around Winthagen, interested parties can get to know the Overst estate, the Kunrader Valley vineyard and the St. Martinus vineyard at the Kalkberg location on an 8-kilometre walking tour. Via Karstraat, both routes can be combined. There are also other vineyards in the municipality: Wijngaard Kruisboom and Villa de Proosdij (Klimmen) and Domein de Vrakelberg (Voerendaal).
Wine region South Limburg
With more and more vineyards 'shooting up' from the ground, winegrowers supplying internationally award-winning wines and a Protected Designation of Origin, South Limburg is becoming increasingly successful as a wine region. The combination of the rich soils, the many slopes and the craftsmanship of the wine grower make the region unique compared to other regions in the Netherlands.
"Together with several municipalities, we see opportunities in the development of our wine culture and are pleased with these routes. Especially since this theme is strongly linked to the DNA of our region. South Limburg as a wine region is unique in the Netherlands and demands visibility. With this, we attract new Burgundians to South Limburg for whom our region has a lot to offer", says Anya Niewierra, director of Visit South Limburg.
