Regions
About Luxembourg
Luxembourg may be small in size but it’s big in culture. Known for its scenic landscape dotted with charming old houses and grand medieval-aged castles, it is no surprise that Luxembourg was named the Capital of European Culture Twice! Luxembourg boasts not only a very low crime rate it also has a very high GDP with a happy population of over 600,000 people. Although it has heavy French, German and more recently Portuguese influences Luxembourg has a proud cultural identity even speaking their own language called, you guessed it, Luxembourgish! Being a relatively young country with independence happening in 1815, its wine culture is young as well. Originally Luxembourg grew large quantities of the lesser quality grape Ebling to be mixed with the wines of the Rhine in Germany but that approach was stifled by the onset of WW1. After the war, Luxembourg decided to refine its production by ousting their low quality grapes and vineyards and developing their own classification system known as Marque Nationale. Now Luxembourg has a quality wine program focusing on dry whites and Cremant. Most of Luxembourg’s Wine is grown in the south eastern region of the country along the Moselle river. The Mosselle acts a natural border where on the opposite side lies Germany’s main white wine producing region. Whether this proximity lends to a competitive nature between the two countries is unknown, but we are willing to bet that wines coming from both sides will have wonderful minerality due to the rich reserves of clay, limestone and gypsum in the river. In the Summer, this river is also a hot-spot for water skiing and swimming! The main grapes grown on the Luxembourg side are Rivaner, Elbling, Auxerrois and Riesling which is traditionally used in a white sauce poured over locally caught crayfish. So if you’re marvelling at the fortitude of Old quarter or exploring the ancient underground passageways of the Bock Casements be sure not to overlook this small country’s wonderfully delicious white wines. Prost!
FACTS
Population
613,894 (2019)
Area
2,586 sq km (998 sq mi)