What and Where is the Hageland?
Hageland is a beautiful area in Flemish Brabant and partly in Limburg that offers lots of countryside, a few rolling hills and of course, delicious Belgian wine. One of the popular places to walk in this area is the “Wijngaardberg” or the “Vineyard Mountain” literally translated.
There are a few other noteworthy places in the Hageland including, the Averbode Abbey, Basilica of Scherpenheuvel, the Vlooybergtoren (commonly known as the stairway to heaven), and Horst Castle.
Leuven sits just outside of the Hageland tourist region, only 10 minutes by train and you are there. It is the perfect escape for beautiful walks, vineyards, and wine tasting!
Schedule for the trip
This is the schedule we followed, but you can of course put your own timings and options together!
13.20 - Travel by train to Wezemaal and walk to the Visitor’s Center for Hageland Wine
14.00 - Take a guided tour to learn about the local history of winemaking, explore the local vineyards and taste some local wines
16.15 - Stop for a drink, or head back to Leuven
Getting to the Visitor Center
By train: We took the 13:33 -IC 2612 to Wezemaal from Leuven Station, then walked the rest of the way following directions via our phone to the address below. You can find plenty of train routes by checking the timetable for your station via the SNCB/NMBS app or website.
Address: Bezoekerscentrum van de Hagelandse wijn, Kerkstraat 16, 3111 Wezemaal (Rotselaar)
It’s also possible to go there by bike (plan your route using the bike node system) or plug the address into your navigation system and head over by car.
The guided tour: Visitor Center and Wijngaardberg
We went with a guide, so we could learn about the history of winemaking in the region, the process and taste some of the local wines too. You should arrange a guide ahead of time if you want to, though we have provided some details below so you can DIY the experience.
Hiring a guide: The non-profit Steenen muur VZW arranges guides and tastings in their cellar beneath the visitor’s center; and there are also private guides like ours (Els Mermans). Typically, groups need to be around 10-15 people – so encourage some friends and colleagues to make it worthwhile. Here are the details for arranging a guided tour.
In the visitor center, we learned about the history and process of winemaking, through our guide, the exhibit and their video explanations showing the different stages of the growing and harvesting processes.
We tasted some wines – observing how the flavors change with different savory snacks and learning about which wines to swirl around our glass, and which not to.
Then we took a walk past the church and a centuries old grapevine, to get to the Wijngaardberg – where an educational vineyard is home to different varieties of grapes and provides an opportunity to enjoy the countryside. Here we tasted a third wine, this time pairing the red with some dark chocolate, to see how the flavors changed yet again.
We did just a small part of the end of walk, but if you would like to walk further, there is 7.3km long route you can take to enjoy the area and make a longer day out of it. Perhaps even with a picnic!
Then, having had our fill of wine and sunshine, we strolled back to the visitor center and headed back to Leuven.
After the tasting our group felt convinced that Belgium can provide delicious wines too!
The wines we tried
There are plenty of wines to try from the local region, but these were the ones we tasted on the day:
- Sparkling rose – Brut Rose – Domein Chartreuzenberg
- White – Pino Gris Mueller Thurgay 2023 – Den Eeckhout
- Red – Dornkelder & Pinot noir 2022 – Haksberg Carduela
Check out the Vlaams Brabant website for information about the almost 30 different Hagelands vineyards or to find out where to order the local wines.
Did you know? Wezemaal Wine Festival
Just before our visit the Wezemaal Wine Festival took place. This is something that our group would love to return for.
The festival always takes place on the last Saturday of August and turns the small town into a bustling place with many local vineyards there to share their best sips.
When you arrive, you pay 10€ for a wine glass and receive 5 tasting vouchers. You can use these vouchers with the stands available and enjoy the many flavors.
Want more info? Just google “Wezemaal Wine Festival” and you will find the event page available around the beginning of summer.
You may also like: