Small in size but enormous in wine culture, Belgium is one of Europe’s most fascinating — and challenging — markets for producers looking to expand abroad. Consumers are deeply connected to classic wine regions, yet younger drinkers are becoming more adventurous and price-conscious. Add fierce competition, easy access to wineries across Europe, and a highly saturated retail landscape, and succeeding here requires far more than simply having a good bottle. We spoke with Jens and Janis from Flessen-Geluk, a Belgian wine importer, to understand what really drives wine sales in Belgium today.
If you had to describe the Belgian wine market in three words, what would they be — and why?
Saturated, classic, big.
Saturated: because there is a lot of wine, maybe too much. Every supermarket has a large offer and there are wineshops and bars everywhere.
Big: because the wine business in Belgium is big. Belgians are real ‘Bourgondic people’, they love to eat and drink, go to bars and restaurants and they love to spend money on this.
Classic: because there is still a large group of Belgian people (mostly older people) that only know the ‘old world’ of wine. They want big names like Champagne, Sancerre, Chablis, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Barolo, Chianti, Rioja…
Belgium is located at the heart of Europe, very close to major wine regions. How does this geographical proximity shape the market? And in theory, if sourcing wine directly seems easy, why is an importer still essential?
We Belgians love to go to the nearby countries on holiday (France, Italy, Spain…) and visit wineries to taste and buy wines directly from the estate. Regions like Champagne (3–4h drive from centre of Belgium) are nearby and a lot of people like to go there for a weekend and taste and buy their own Champagne.
Yes, it seems easy. But not everybody has time to go to the estate by themselves. In these modern times the father and mother go to work 5 days a week, 9 to 5, have young children with hobbies… So they appreciate if good wine is accessible for them and they don’t have to drive themselves. But on holiday, when there is time, they love to do so.
Is Belgium more influenced by French wine culture, or does it have its own identity? And are consumers more traditional or more curious in their wine choices?
Belgium, more specifically older people, are influenced by French wine culture. We have our own Belgian ‘Bourgondic’ identity, as we love gastronomy. But classic Belgian gastronomy is very similar to classic French gastronomy.
Older, classic people go for more traditional regions. Younger people like to explore the world and go for more affordable wines from countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy… The classic wine regions are mostly a little more expensive.
Are people drinking less but better? And how important is price sensitivity today?
Yes, indeed.
Price sensitivity is very important. Life is getting more expensive every year due to inflation (I think this is the case in whole Europe). That’s why we like to search for good price-quality and sometimes a premium wine for special occasions like Christmas gifts or birthdays.
Do consumers rely more on appellation, grape variety, or recommendation? And is there a growing interest in fresher, lower-alcohol styles?
This depends on how much they know about wine and how much they want to spend.
I read everywhere about this trend. But I don’t notice this in our market.
Are restaurants, wine bars and sommeliers still key drivers in Belgium?
Maybe. This is a very hard business because the Belgian wine market is really saturated and Belgians don’t always like to change when something is good. So a restaurant that has a good supplier will not change easily to a new supplier.
Yes, sommeliers do take risks on lesser-known regions.
Wine lists becoming more focused or more exploratory? It depends on the restaurant.
How important are personal relationships in the Belgian wine business?
It can be important. Especially in the HoReCa business.
Does being a smaller importer create flexibility or limitations? And how much does cross-border competition affect your work?
It creates more limitations. There are a lot of big players on the market who control the business. It is hard to compete with them. So we need to have a good strategy.
The big supermarkets and big wine importers can sell at better prices than we can and can afford to make a ‘mistake’. If we buy a wine that doesn’t sell well, we have a limitation on our budget for other wines.
Sometimes cross-border competition matters. There are some bigger wine importers from the Netherlands who also sell online in Belgium. So if they sell the same wine as we do, it is a big competition on who has the best price. People compare these prices online.
What mistakes do foreign producers make when approaching Belgium? And do smaller wine regions have opportunities?
The most common mistake is asking if we can order more quantities. The wine business in Belgium is saturated.
Smaller or emerging wine regions do have opportunities—if they have good wines for good prices.
Sustainability is not the most important factor in my experience. Price-quality is the most important factor.
In such an accessible market, how do you differentiate yourself? And what would you say to a foreign producer wondering whether they need a Belgian importer?
We are searching for wineries and regions that are not yet represented in Belgium and for good price-quality. Also, we try to keep the supply chain very short. We import everything straight from the winery ourselves and don’t work with other importers. We don’t want to be the 1000th importer that has only Bordeaux or Rioja.
Because Belgians will always drink wine. It is in our DNA. We are really gastronomic and ‘Bourgondic’ people. We like everything about gastronomy, from beer till wine, from Belgian fries till pasta. And this will never stop.
