On the Margraten plateau in South Limburg, Mergelland is a protected Dutch wine name. Its registered area covers nine municipalities between the Maas and Geul valleys, and only vineyards on loess arable soil qualify. Soil, geography and climate give grapes enough warmth to ripen despite the northern setting.
Viticulture is documented here from AD 968. It continued through the Little Ice Age, stopped for political reasons during French rule in the Napoleonic period, and returned to commercial cultivation in 1970. The EU specification calls Mergelland the birthplace of modern Dutch viniculture.
The registered grape list includes Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Dornfelder, Chardonnay and Auxerrois. Mergelland wines are described as fruity, fresh in acidity and high in minerality. Auxerrois is light and fruity, with yellow apple and pear, while Chardonnay is medium-bodied, with lemon, butter, toast and vanilla.
Inside the region
1 named area
Each guide keeps its place within Mergelland clear, with a direct route back to the map.