Wine and beer from the Gardens?

In the Botanic Gardens, the growth of hop plants has started and a small vineyard has been planted. Are we going to brew our own beer and make wine? Who knows!

In the Evolution Garden, a new field of hop plants (Humulus lupulus) can be found. The first hops are now emerging. Hops are an indispensable ingredient in the production of beer.

A special variety

Also a little vineyard has been planted with vines of the old Flemish variety 'Roland'. This is a medieval variety from the Flemish Ardennes, which was rediscovered and brought back into circulation not long ago. It is a pink, seedless Muscat grape that is highly resistant to all sorts of diseases, including phylloxera. This is quite special, because most old European varieties are very sensitive to it. The variety was probably largely eradicated by Napoleon, who wanted to eliminate the competition from the French wine growers. The Utrecht University Botanic Gardens received the plant a few years ago from the Botanic Garden of Ghent University.

Perhaps in the future we will brew our own beer and make wine, but the main reason the grow these plants is to show them to our visitors.