The updated and expanded edition of the «Algarve Wine Guide» was presented by the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA) at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL) and is intended to be another tool to consolidate food and wine tourism in Algarve lands .
The first edition, which came out in 2009, then contained 16 producers, but now, five years later, it has grown to 24 regional producers, who present a total of 142 quality wines. An addition that has also to do with the commitment that has been made in the Algarve to the revitalization of the vine culture, as he highlighted, in statements to Sul Informação, Carlos Garcias, President of the Algarve Wine Commission.
Desidério Silva, president of RTA, told journalists at the Guia's presentation at BTL that “sun, sea, beach and golf are already referenced, but we have to disclose what is complementary to that. Nobody goes to the Algarve just for the beach and golf, they also go to eat, to discover our heritage and culture, to discover our wines».
Because, insists the head of Algarve tourism, “we have to captivate tourists by mouth. The Mediterranean Diet, recently classified as a World Heritage Site, is something we inherited from our ancestors. Good gastronomy, accompanied by good wines, can and should be an attraction and differentiating element of the destination».
Hermínio Rebelo, head of the Algarve Wine Commission's Chamber of Tasters, is technically responsible for the content of the Guide which, as he emphasized in the presentation, reflects the great diversity and quality that the Algarve region has in terms of soil, climate and even grape varieties .
«The Algarve wine region is at the beginning of adulthood, so the conditions for planting and caring for the vines are similar to the more modern ones used in the rest of the wine growing world. In the same way, almost all Algarve wineries are equipped with the most advanced technological solutions for wine production», explains Hermínio Rebelo in the Guide's Introductory Note.
In recent years, and after the initial rigidity, «together with the regional grape varieties, the introduction of new certified grape varieties brought added value to the wines». In such a way that, assures the main sommelier of the Algarve, of the region's wines, «the majority have an above-average quality, placing them at the level of the best produced in other wine-producing regions».
Carlos Garcias, in his statements to the Sul Informação, added, in turn, that the «Wine Guide» is of «great use for wineries, estates and wines» and «will boost the tourist offer, wine tourism and the cultural and gastronomic heritage of our region».
The Guide has, for now, been published in Portuguese, with editions in Spanish and English also being planned. It will be distributed at fairs and other promotional activities of the Algarve tourism, and can also be downloaded online, on the website visitgarve.pt. However, at least this Sunday, the version available for download is still from 2009. Anyone who wants the new version will have to take advantage of this, which is the last day of BTL, and go to Parque das Nações, in Lisbon.
The Wine Guide thus joins the Algarve Wine Route, which was also presented at BTL, to promote wine tourism in the region.
But Hermínio Rebelo did not fail to issue an alert: «where are the Hotel Schools in the Algarve, which now want to close? He doesn't talk about wine either, he doesn't talk about gastronomy, it is essential to have training for this. If you continue to close the Hotel Schools in the Algarve, it is the quality of the service that is at stake, it is the quality of the tourist destination itself».
Comments