The possibility of tasting wines from 35 national producers, 10 of which from the Algarve, is the objective of the Enóphilo Wine Fest, which will take place for the first time in the region, on March 02nd, the organization told Lusa today.
The event, which has the support of the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA), takes place in Vilamoura, and is aimed “at people who like wine, whether they are consumers or professionals”, allowing them to taste 250 wines, he highlighted to the organization's Lusa Luís Gradíssimo agency.
The event has already held 20 editions, in cities such as Lisbon, Porto or Braga, and has always sought to have “producers from all regions of the country” to allow “Portugal to be represented to the maximum” in terms of the different national wine-growing areas, he noted.
The producers are “mainly small and medium-sized”, are “more outside the commercial circuit” and present at the event wines that stand out for their quality and can be tasted upon payment of an entrance fee of 15 euros, when purchased in advance, and 20 euros, acquired on the same day, he explained.
“We have a special participation here, in collaboration with CVA, in which we will have 10 producers from the region exhibiting at an event where there will certainly be more than 250 wines on display”, highlighted Luís Gradíssimo.
The person responsible considered that the Algarve is now at an “ideal” moment to host an event like this, because the region has more and better producers, constituting “a very attractive market”, which has “not only national consumers, but also many international ”.
In addition to the “growing notoriety of the region itself as a producer” of wine, there is also “a greater maturity” in consumption, with hotels and restaurants that are “increasingly investing in quality wines”, he explained.
“And, therefore, it makes perfect sense to take to the Algarve at this moment an event that brings together differentiated and quality producers to showcase their wines, their portfolio, their offer, not only for consumers, but also for hotel professionals. and restaurants who are in the region and who are also looking for different products”, he argued.
The president of CVA, Sara Silva, also spoke to Lusa about the first edition of the event in the Algarve and highlighted the importance of local producers participating in an initiative that is already well established on the national scene and will showcase wines and producers in the region. to a “more generalist” but “also professional” audience.
The Algarve will have a “quite significant” participation, with 10 “small and medium-sized producers”, who promote the “quality of their products” and make wines of “excellent quality”, bringing to the event “a significant display of what wines are of the region”, said Sara Silva.
The president of the CVA said that the sector is growing, it has 56 producers, of which 40% are foreign, who make certified wines and reached, in 2023, a total volume of around 1,6 million liters.
“It’s a very interesting number and one that illustrates the dynamism, the evolution, of this region”, he considered, highlighting that between 70 and 80% of production is sold on the national market, through commerce, hotels and restaurants, where a “ evolutionary path” to make more and more regional wines available.
Asked about the impact of the drought and the restrictions on water consumption imposed on Algarve agriculture, Sara Silva assured that the CVA continues its effort to increase efficiency in irrigation and water use, despite the fact that vineyards are not an irrigated crop and need less contributions than those.
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