«One hundred and a few wines», from at least 25 Algarve producers, should participate, on May 6th, in Lagoa, in the XIII Algarve Wine Contest, organized by the Regional Wine Commission. The announcement was made this Friday afternoon, at the presentation that took place at the Convento de São José, in that city, where the contest will take place.
The event, which will take place the day before the Cidades do Vinho Contest, also scheduled for Lagoa, but on the 7th, aims to be «the best contest ever», both in terms of participants and the quality of the wines, as well as organization . The objective is simple: «to stimulate the production of quality wines in the region» and its «notoriety».
Sara Silva, president of the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA), explained that one of the bets is on the quality of the panel of judges, which includes personalities linked to the wine industry in the Algarve region and in the rest of the country.
Algarve wines, she recalled, suffered more than those from other regions with the restrictions caused by the pandemic. This is because, highlighted Sara Silva, «these are wines consumed mainly in the region» and much in the «Horeca channel», in other words, in the restaurants and hotels, precisely the sectors most affected. With "limited tourism" and the "closure, until recently, of the Horeca channel", sales of Algarve wines suffered sharp drops.
But, as Luís Encarnação, Mayor of Lagoa, pointed out, “the light at the end of the tunnel is finally seen”, with the increase in vaccination, the advance of lack of confinement “and the resumption of the economy and of normality in our lives ».
To celebrate this kind of rebirth, the president of the CVA announces “news” at the Algarve Wine Contest, which has the support and commitment of the Municipality of Lagoa. The first of these innovations is the fact that the competition "is now being carried out using digital means, tablets and computers", which represents "a qualitative step". In other words, the judging panel's assessment, instead of being done by hand, will be done digitally.
On the other hand, despite having a small team, «all the organization and secretariat of the competition will be ensured by the structure of the CVA». Sara Silva classified this as “a leap of independence and greater organizational capacity”.
In addition, also for the first time, "we have taken on the responsibility of choosing the judges for the competition", all of whom will be people "of recognized value within and outside the region".
In terms of prizes, the Grand Gold Medal will be awarded to the best wine at the event, as well as Gold and Silver Medals. The bronze ones were eliminated, since, in the last competitions, all the competing wines had at least quality to be scored as silver.
Respecting the rules in this type of official competition – this is officially recognized by the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho – it is stipulated that «of the wines entered, only 30% will be awarded medals». In other words, the best of the best will be awarded.
The president of the Technical Committee of the Wine Contest, after presenting several more technical aspects of the event, stressed that evaluating the quality of wines must take into account the specificities of each region. In the Algarve, «we are in a region with a hot climate, where wines have more alcohol, more body and less acidity». And these are characteristics that the judges will have to take into account, he said.
The event dedicated to Algarve Wines joins the Contest Cidades do Vinho, which has a national character, as explained by José Arruda, secretary general of the Portuguese Association of Wine Municipalities.
Scheduled for the 7th of May, also at the Convento de São José, in Lagoa, this competition will feature 35 producers from all over the country, including the islands. From here the representatives of Portugal will leave at the European Competition of Wine Cities, scheduled for Modena, Italy, in September.
José Arruda said that this will be the year with the most Portuguese wines in this international event: «there will be 2000 wines, of which around 600 are Portuguese».
Bearing in mind that «the Algarve is the region in the country with the most wines in the Wine Cities Competition», it should also be the one that will bring the most wines to Italy.
Chamber president Luís Encarnação underlined that “it makes perfect sense that Lagoa is chosen for these events”. Because, he recalled, "in five years we have tripled the number of producers, which are now nine", with the possibility of "soon reaching ten".
"Wine is important for the economy, but it is also an identity factor for Lagoa," added the mayor, saying that "wine has been produced in our territory for over 2000 years."
But Luís Encarnação also insisted on highlighting the current connection between wine, gastronomy and tourism. When the pandemic's restrictions end, that link could bear even greater fruit.
The mayor of Lagos also expressed the hope that «the extraordinary work that has been done by the producers, by the CVA and by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture can be recognized in this Wine Contest».
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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