An Introduction to Luxembourg Wine

Harvest season is in full swing in Luxembourg wine country. Traveling the Route de Vin along the 42 kilometer stretch between Wasserbillig and Schengen on the Moselle River, one can spot pickers emptying vineyards by hand, and tractors lugging trailers heaped with grapes on their way back to the winery to be pressed.

It’s far from an uncommon sight; grapes have been grown for wine in Luxembourg for more than 2,000 years after all – but the final product has come a long way since Roman days.

There’s a lot to learn about Luxembourg wine, and there’s no better time of year to get started. If you’re an oenophile in the making, here is an overview of what you need to know to begin to understand and appreciate the wines of Luxembourg:

Meet the Winemakers

Winemakers in Luxembourg fall into three categories. There are 52 private vintners, smaller operations which grow and produce their own wines that are sold mainly to private customers or catering operations.

The six producteurs-négociants in Luxembourg are larger winemaking operations which make wine from grapes purchased from select growers with whom they have negotiated contracts. The third, largest winemaking operation in Luxembourg is Domaines Vinsmoselle, the umbrella organization for Luxembourg’s six large cooperatives, which produce wine made from the grapes of its 450 winegrower members.

Main Grape Varieties

While a number of growers are experimenting with new varieties in their vineyards, the grapes most commonly used for wine in Luxembourg are: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Rivaner, Elbling and Chardonnay.

Of these varietals, Rivaner is the most widely planted, accounting for 29 percent of all wine grown. It is typically consumed young and served as a casual table wine in cafés or at picnics.

Riesling, on the other hand, is the wine grape that typically lands Luxembourg vintners the most awards – even though it only accounts for about 13 percent of vines planted in the country. Why not plant more? “It is a problem of climate. Riesling needs the best slopes, oriented south,” explains Serge Fischer, a viticulture consultant with the Institut Viti-Vinicole in Remich.

The size of the Grand Duchy and its wine region limit the volume of vines that can be grown in its mineral-rich soil. This is also the reason why most of Luxembourg’s wine is consumed within Luxembourg: there simply isn’t enough product available to turn Luxembourg into a major wine exporting nation.

Tasting and Pairing

What should one expect when tasting a Luxembourg wine for the first time? “White wines in Luxembourg are very fresh, very fruity and very elegant. You have a great variety as well and wines for every taste,” advises Nathalie Scalliet-Reckinger of Vins & Crémants, the promotional commission for Luxembourg still and sparkling wine. She naturally recommends that consumers try all varietals of Luxembourg wine to determine the kind they like best.

Choosing a wine to enjoy with food can be tricky for someone new to Luxembourg wine. When pairing a wine with a home-cooked meal, “Riesling is best for a menu. It is very complex and makes the best accompaniment for food,” said Jean-Paul Hoffmann, of Domaine Mathes in Wormeldange, who also offers cooking classes at the winery.

Adding advice on a “safety grape” for times when a new wine drinker is asked to select wine in a restaurant, Mr. Hoffmann advises that in this case, “you have to choose Pinot Gris; it has a large palette of flavors.”

Choosing the Right Bottle

Wine in Luxembourg is typically bottled by variety, so the type of grape is listed on the label. The wine label also holds several other cues that can be helpful in selecting a good bottle.

The national classification system for Luxembourg wine is the Marque Nationale des Vins Luxembourgeois, a certification that guarantees that the wine in the bottle meets at least a minimum quality standard for color, clarity, bouquet and taste. Wines that meet the minimum level of distinction can affix the words Marque Nationale - Appellation contrôlée to their wine label; wines that score better can be labeled as Vin Classé, Premier Cru, or as Grand Premier Cru, the highest distinction available under the national certification.

Taking quality control even further, a number of winemakers in Luxembourg have committed to producing wine that surpasses even more strict regulatory standards than required for the Marque Nationale. Luxembourg wines labeled “Charta,” “Domaine et Tradition,” and “Charta Schengen Prestige” are the result of winemakers having followed a meticulous set of rules that may limit the geographic location, varietal, quality and quantity of grapes allowed for pressing into wine that receives these distinctions. The winemakers themselves have agreed to the standards required for these certifications, so consumers can more easily identify what winemakers believe are the very best of their wines.

The Last Word

When it comes to better understanding the wine of Luxembourg, Mr. Fischer puts it best: “It is becoming more difficult to learn all the varieties, the production techniques. I think what is very nice in Luxembourg is to take a bicycle or take a small walk in the vineyards – there is nice nature and it is very beautiful in our valley. Come, try the wines and buy what you think is best.”