One of the most important products in Madeiran history is entitled to its own annual festival.
A key tourist event, it celebrates the cultural, economic and historical importance of wine in Madeira. This year, the Wine Festival runs from August 25th to September 8th.
One of the stages of the event is Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, decorated in allusive motifs and filled with stalls selling typical products. A short walk away, Praça do Povo houses the Madeira Wine lounge, offering the more cosmopolitan ambience one would associate with sweet wines, as well as with still wines made in Madeira.
A varied programme offers plenty of music and theatre, with plays and sketches in English and Portuguese, alluding to the history, legends and traditions of wine.
There is also the presentation of the new ‘Dances with History’ project – part of the celebrations of the 600 years of the discovery of Porto Santo and Madeira – to be hosted in monuments like the São Lourenço Palace, and the Pico and São Tiago Fortresses.
On September 7th, the live picking of the grapes has all eyes turn to Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, one of the places with the highest grape production in Madeira. The picking and treading of grapes is re-enacted in a traditional press open to the public. This is followed by an ethnographic parade with several folklore groups.
