Wijndomein Optimbulles

sinds 1991

Ontdek het domein

Wijndomein Optimbulles is sinds 1990 gepassioneerd bezig met het vervaardigen van mousserende en stille wijnen in Borgloon. Door middel van passie en ervaring produceren we, in samenwerking met de natuur, wijnen met een complex karakter.
Met minimale interventies willen we de wijn en niet de wijnmaker laten spreken.

Sauvignon Blanc looking fabulous.
Second shoot thinning passage just before bloom.
Optimbulles team in full swing.

Optimbulles in La Revue du Vin de France
Wat een eer om vermeld te worden in de mei-editie van La RVF.
Onze natuurlijke, eigenzinnige cuvées werden warm onthaald:
• Meunier 2023 – 88/100
• Briljant 2020 – 87/100
• Robijn 2022 – 90/100
• Trilogie 2022 – 90/100

Dankbaar voor deze erkenning van ons kleine domein, waar we met liefde, zonder chemie, en met de natuur samenwerken aan zuivere wijnen met karakter.

#Optimbulles #LaRVF #BelgischeWijn

Optimbulles featured in La Revue du Vin de France
We’re honoured to be featured in the May edition of La RVF.
Our natural, characterful cuvées received wonderful recognition:
• Meunier 2023 – 88/100
• Briljant 2020 – 87/100
• Robijn 2022 – 90/100
• Trilogie 2022 – 90/100

Grateful for this recognition of our small Belgian domaine, where we craft honest wines with care, without chemicals, and in harmony with nature.

#Optimbulles #LaRVF #BelgianWine

🍏 Cider met karakter, recht uit het hart van de boomgaard
Bij Optimbulles maken we ciders die het pure van appel vieren. Gemaakt van lokale hoogstamappels, spontaan vergist en met oog voor detail. Geen toevoegingen, geen shortcuts – enkel ambacht, tijd en vakmanschap.

Onze ciders zijn droog, fris en verfijnd – perfect als stijlvol alternatief voor schuimwijn of als begeleider van lichte lentegerechten.

🌿 Authentiek, elegant en verrassend veelzijdig.
Proef de cider zoals ze bedoeld is: levendig, natuurlijk en vol karakter.

#Optimbulles #BelgischeCider #AmbachtInFlesvorm #Hoogstamfruit #CiderMetKarakter #LenteInJeGlas

Moving the sheep from one vineyard to another.
Already the second round of grazing this winter.

#regenerativeviticulture #shropshire #grazing #optimbulles #belgianwine

Snow.
Apples.
Sheep.
Vineyard.
Monastery.

Already testing out some blends of the 2024 wines.
Looking promising.

Harvest 2024 is officially over.
It has been the most challenging year we ever encountered in 30+ years that we're farming.
With spring frost, heavy rains during flowering and a constant humidity during summer we had plenty of work on our hands.
Luckily we still managed to get some beautiful juices in the barrels which are fermenting nicely and are already promising quality.
On the bright side, we have a new member of the Optimbulles family, a beautiful daughter named Florence ❤🌸
A big big thank you for everyone who helped us during harvest and throughout the year 🙏

Looking forward to season 2025 💪

Apple pressing day! 🍏
Today we'll press our highstem apples for our different ciders & apple juice.
More than a dozen old varieties are used.

#cider #uncultivated #optimbulles
#naturalcider #cidermaking

Picking wild fresh hops to make our hopped cider 🍏🍾

During summer our sheep graze in our silvopasture orchards which give plenty of natural shade. 🐑
After the grape harvest they'll go back into the vineyard.

#optimbulles #purewine #sheep #shropshire #silvopasture #belgianwine #grazing

WIJNTERRAS 28/07/'24

Kom samen met het team van Optimbulles genieten van onze wijnen & ciders te midden van onze wijngaard in Jesseren.
Voor deze gelegenheid zijn al onze beschikbare wijnen te proeven per glas.
Locatie: Bosstraat 1 3840 Borgloon
meer info: https://fb.me/e/2hdK6RkTb

Dégorgement
We disgorge all of our sparkling wines ourselves on a very artisanal way.
Thanks to the whole Optimbulles family ❤

New release
Right in time for warm late summer evenings ��☀️🔥

Pet Nat Sauvignon Blanc 2023
7 days of cold skin maceration
Limited to only 300 bottles.

Discover it @droesem.wine this Sunday, or the 16th at @atomicpif_winefair .

Today we bottled all of our sparkling wines of 2023.
Ready to pop in a few years.
Our still wines still need some time on the barrels.
Thanks to everybody who came and helped today 🙏

#optimbulles #belgianwine #methodetraditionnelle #naturalwine #vinnature #vinpure

Proud to be listed in the first Belgian Wine Guide of @gaultmillaubelgium !
Today we received a nice plaque.

A meeehry Christmas 🐑🎄
Today we welcome our first 3 Shropshire sheep in our vineyards. Dolly, Sonja & Mathilde
They will graze the vineyard floor until budbreak and adding their manure as fertilizer.

Incorporating animals on the farm is a key factor in the regenerative agriculture model to build a healthy soil and ecosystem.

They have been bred and are expecting to lamb in March, so our flock will continue to grow.

We'll keep you posted 🐑

#vinnature #optimbulles #shropshire #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativeviticulture #sheepgrazing

MÉTIS
A testament to our great region of 'Haspengouw'.
Combining the old apple tradition with the new upcoming viticulture.
A marvelous cider from 12 different high stem varieties cofermented with the skins of our Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
The apples have their origins in the old orchards around Borgloon conserved and maintained by @natuurpunt

Traditional method bottle fermented, 2 years on the lees.
Disgorged without dosage.

A very fresh sparkling cider/wine with lovely fruit and tannins coming from the grape skins. Giving it an almost Orange wine finish.
Only 8% vol. alc

Contact us for more info.

The harvest season is over.
2023 was a challenging year where we had a massive amount of rain during the summer months which caused multiple problems like
mildew, drosophila suzukii, uncontrollable undergrowth and bunch rot.
With the continuous help of the Optimbulles family and friends we still managed to get a great harvest.
With fermentations close to ending now I can already taste and feel the beauty of this vintage.
As per usual we tried out some new techniques and blends and can't wait to present them, stay tuned.
Again a big THANK YOU to everybody who was involved this harvest 🙏

❤

HELPENDE HANDEN GEZOCHT
Het is zover, volgende week begint onze druivenpluk.
We zoeken nog vrijwilligers die op 16/9 en 23/9 een dag willen meehelpen.
Starten doen we om 8u30 en we plukken tot +-16u. 'S middags voorzien we een heerlijke lunch van @johanhaiverlain met voldoende wijn.
Wij voorzien plukscharen en manden, jullie gepaste kledij en goesting.

We hebben er al zin in!

Stuur ons voor meer info!

Optimum 2022
Chardonnay direct press
11 months fermentation in oak 300lt barrels
Unfiltered, spontaneous fermentation, pure.

#purewine #optimbulles #belgianwine #naturalwine #naturalwinemakers #vinpur #vinnature

New release!
Our second ever Orange wine us now available.
Vintage 22, 50% Chardonnay 50% Sauvignon Blanc
30 days skincontact
300 liters aged in oak, 200 liters aged in stainless steel.

Get it while it's still available!

#optimbulles #belgianwine #belgianwinemakers #naturalwine #orangewine

Thanks @gaultmillaubelgium & @soenenstefaan for the inclusion in the very first Belgian Wine Guide.

Available now!

Come and say hi tomorrow @droesem.wine !
We'll be pouring our new orange wine 2022 for the first time 🍇🤟

Pouring our wines and ciders for the first time in Amsterdam! Thanks for the invite @asopwines.ams and to everyone who came and said hi 🙏

#optimbulles #amsterdam #asenseofplace #vinnature #vinpur #naturalwinemakers #naturalcider #naturalwine #belgiancider #belgianwine

New year / new palissage
Toasting on the new year while installing our newest palissage.
To new beginnings 🥂

Feeding the soil with old woodships mixed with grape and apple pommace.
Our apple orchard/silvo pasture is developing nicely.
A few more years for our first ciders from these lovely trees.

NEW RELEASE
Cider Appel Hop
Natural cider with Belgian 'Groenebellen' hops.
Expect some fresh bittersour citrus flavors perfect to start or finish the evening.

PM if interested 🍏

#belgiancider #naturalcider #cider #optimbulles #cidermaking #purecider

Yesterday we picked all the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for our sparkling wines. Thanks to all our volunteers ❤

Vroege Loonse '22

First pick of the year

#naturalwine #naturalwinemakers #vinpur #vinnature #optimbulles #vroegeloonse

Bottling our first ever Orange wine for @droesem.wine festival!
50/50 Chardonnay - Sauvignon Blanc
4 weeks maceration

#optimbulles #belgianwine #belgianwinemakers #orangewine #naturalwine #vinnature #naturalwinemakers

Zero phyto delicate shoveling of our newly planted vines.
Giving space and limiting competition while respecting the soil. After 4 years we shift to mowing and grazing to restore the mycelium connection and induce competition in our fertile soil.

#zerophyto #vinnature #viticulture #optimbulles #belgianwine #belgianwinemakers #belgischewijn #naturalwine #vinnaturel

Chardonnay | 20 years old | Cordon | Glechoma hederacea

#optimbulles #belgianwine #belgianwinemakers #naturalwine #vinnaturel #vinnature #viticulture

Spring has now fully arrived 🐝🐞🌱

#optimbulles #belgianwine #naturalwine #vinnature #viticulture

MÉTIS 2020 🍎🍇
Introducing our first cider/wine hybrid.
Made by co-fermenting the pressed skins of our Chardonnay grapes with our apple juice.
Natural yeasts, no filtration and no clarification.
Méthode traditionelle, 12 months sur lattes, brut nature.
8% vol. alcohol

PM for more info!
Soon available @el.cider or at the domaine.
#cider #optimbulles #naturalcider #métis #ciderwine #cidrenaturel

Happy international women's day!
Celebrating all the fine ladies that work with us.

#internationalwomensday #womenofoptimbulles #optimbulles #belgianwine

Decompaction of the soil. Building soil from underneath. Breaking up the loam soil for better drainage and introducing air for microbes. All with minimum disruption for soil organisms.
#optimbulles #regenerativeagriculture #naturalwine #vinnature #viticulture #viticulturedurable #belgianwine

In deze sombere regenachtige vierde golf dagen kijken we graag terug op onze POP-UP afgelopen zomer. We kijken er naar uit om jullie volgend jaar opnieuw te ontvangen in onze wijngaard.
Met dank aan @torp.jesseren voor de organisatie en @aerovision.be voor de beelden!

#torp #optimbulles #belgianwine #AeroVision #limburg #visitlimburg #belgischewijn #jesseren

Décuvage van onze Metis 2021. Appelcider in cofermentatie met Sauvignon Blanc en Chardonnay uit onze Orange wine. Very very tasty 🍷

#optimbulles #naturalwine #naturalcider #ciderwine #belgianwinemakers #vinnaturel

2021 was a challenging year in our vineyard, nevertheless we managed to harvest some beautiful fruit. A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped the past month 🙏
Here are some photos of the last crazy month.

DE OOGST KOMT ER AAN!

Wil je graag eens meehelpen op onze druivenoogst?
Zaterdag 2 oktober gaan we de druiven voor onze mousserende wijnen plukken en we hebben nog wat hulp nodig.

Wij voorzien een plukschaar en plukmand.
's Middags voorzien we meer dan voldoende spijs en drank (veel drank indien gewenst).

Beginnen doen we om 9u, voorzie toch tot 16u daar te zijn.

Geïnteresseerd? Stuur een bericht via Facebook, Instagram
of mail naar info@optimbulles.be

Very nice review from @thewinetattoo

The bustling town of Borgloon is in the heart of Limburg’s famed fruit orchards, but passionate Maxim Geunis is determined that it will also be famous for its wines.

He is the perfect symbol for a new generation of Flemish vignerons; making pioneer natural wines by not adding sulphites, experimenting in the cellar with terracotta amphorae, oak casks and glass demijohns, while respecting biodiversity and ecology in the vineyard. His father Guido, a local police detective, began making garage wine back in 1991, the vineyard planted in the front garden, wine fermenting downstairs in the cellar. Maxim recounts how, ‘when my father started you could count the number of Belgian winemakers on one hand. Now there are hundreds. For me, many are far too conventional, just wanting to copy the famed Burgundy style. It is a missed opportunity as we have so few rules in Belgium that everyone should be having fun and trying new things.’ Optimbulles’ vineyard is now on the outskirts of town, stretching to 3 hectares, and Maxim has installed his cellar in an old farmhouse where he produces a wonderfully varied mix of 7 sparkling wines, as well small quality batches of Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The total comes to 10,000 bottles, enough to encourage him to recently give up his job as an educator to concentrate 100% on winemaking.

A brave decision that Maxim justifies because ‘more and more people in Belgium are getting interested in natural wines, and we can sell out 100% of our production to this home market, which is good news for our carbon footprint. In other countries, many natural wine producers sell all over the world but I feel that defeats our eco philosophy, so if one day I get a call from someone in Japan, China or Russia offering to buy half our production, then I will just say no.’

Gisteren werden onze 5 torenvalk kuikens geringd. 🦅 Allemaal wijfjes.
Nog een dikke week en ze verlaten het nest.
We gaan onze luidruchtige pluizenbollen missen!

#optimbulles #belgianwinemakers #belgischewijn #torenvalk #biodiversity #biodiversiteit #naturalwine #vinnature

After last year's experiment with elderflower cider, we're going big now.

#elderflower #cider #optimbulles #cidre #naturalcider

KORUND
Releasing a new cuvee, Korund 2019!
Rosé sparkling wine, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Crushed by feet, macerated for 48h, spontaneous first and second fermentation.
ONLY 400 BOTTLES
Contact us if you're interested! 🍇
#optimbulles #korund #belgianwine #coolclimatewines #naturalwine #vinnature #rosé

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Nielstraat 23, 3840 Borgloon, Belgium

info@optimbulles.be

BE 0822.079.948

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