THE IMPORTANCE OF MADEIRA’S WINE FESTIVAL
August coming to a close is synonymous with the harvest. It is also the time to celebrate one of the island's biggest exports. Wine, of course!
The history of Madeira wine blends itself with the history of the archipelago. Circa 1450, thirty years after the beginning of the island's settlement, wine was already produced. In truth, the significance of Madeira is much larger than the bottle it comes in. Its history allows us to say it is as large as the World. And that is also why Madeirans and tourists gather to celebrate it every year.
This year, the Madeira Wine Festival happens between October 8 and 24. But the hustle and bustle surrounding the region's most precious nectar takes off much earlier.
The ending of August usually coincides with the time of the harvests. This is when dozens of aficionados go through some 400 hectares of vineyards on the island to pick the precious fruit that will be used to make this fortified wine.
These moments of celebration associated with the picking of the grapes and the beginning of production are multiplied a bit of everywhere around the island.
The Madeira Wine Festival seeks to pay tribute to the tradition and work, often invisible, that is developed year-round so that the wine will come out perfect. The programme is varied, featuring musical entertainment, wine tastings, vineyard tours and wine-themed dinners.
For Francisco Albuquerque, Madeira Wine Company's oenologist, the initiative is also very important 'in a region that is also a DOP wine region that produces just the one wine, which is nonetheless more well-known than the island itself'.
The Wine Festival is also regarded as an opportunity because it ends up 'offering wine tastings to our visitors, but mostly because it gives consumption habits and knowledge to Madeirans, who ought to be our wine's foremost ambassadors', reveals Francisco Albuquerque.
Like in previous years, the Madeira Wine lounge will be set up in Praça do Povo as a place for those who want to taste beyond just fortified wine. The area recreates a cosmopolitan ambience associated with the consumption of wines from Madeira. It is the ideal opportunity to taste wines from each production area. May it all be in the name of wine.