Text José Silva

Although with a significant delay, as it should have been ready almost a year ago, it was finally inaugurated the one that is considered the biggest wine bottle in the world. It was built in fiberglass at Quinta da Boeira’s garden, in Vila Nova de Gaia, it is 32 meters long and 9,5 meters in diameter and has a capacity to accommodate about 150 people inside.

It is part of an event called “Portugal In A Bottle”, which will take place till the 27th September 2014. Inside that bottle, that wants to be a living tribute museum to the Portuguese wine, we see the wine-growing country through a 3D film and the promotion and sale of wine, gastronomy and handcraft that will attract an interested audience, both national and foreign.

Inside the giant bottle there will even take place wine tastings from some regions. “The Quinta da Boeira Natural Park – Art and Culture” is the result of the recovery of an old farm which belonged to an old Port wine warehouse, now adapted to new purposes. The area is controlled by the stately home, raised in the middle of a fantastic garden, surrounded by a big wall that gives a very peculiar privacy to that place.

A beautiful, rare and quiet place, with a small lake and luxurious wood, to enjoy free time, a restaurant opened every day and a space for bigger events, always with access to the whole touristic area, including a parking place.

And it was in this fantastic place that happened, between the 30th may and the 1st of June, the “Portugal Wine Trophy – Portugal Grand Gold”, an organization of the Deutche Wein Market. It is a world competition that has got two annual editions, one in Berlin, Germany and another in Seoul, South Korea: the “Asia Wine Trophy”.

Now it came to Portugal, by the hand of Quinta da Boeira’s administration. This renowned contest has the sponsorship of OIV and UIOE, well known by the rigueur they put into those kinds of organizations. In this first “Portugal Wine Trophy” there was a panel of 60 judges, 40% of them Portuguese, who tasted 1.012 wines from all over the world, whose results will be known latter.

The international judges were received by the traditional Portuguese hospitality; they visited the Port wine cellars and some wine producers. They could watch the huge tourist movement in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia towns, in funny leisure moments, where traditional food from the north was always present.

Wine tastings took place at Quinta da Boeira’s old warehouse, that offers great conditions of peace and temperature for this kind of events, supported by qualified personnel that were up to it, both opening and taking care of the bottles – right temperatures are essential – and in the wine service to the judges, where timing is precious. Wines from all over the world were tasted, including Portugal and many silver and gold medals were assigned and some in the grand gold level, revealing the quality of the wines in the competition. The result, in the general opinion of the foreigners invited and the German organization leaders, was very successful, and it shows that next year Quinta da Boeira will receive again this prestigious competition, probably with even more wines to be tasted.
Meanwhile, the biggest wine bottle in the world will still be there, unveiling the quality of Portuguese products.

Contacts
Rua Conselheiro Veloso da Cruz, nº. 608
Rua Teixeira Lopes, nº. 114
440-320 Vila Nova de Gaia
Tel: (+351) 223 751 338
Mobile: +351 961 360 897
Email: quintaboeira@sapo.pt
Site: www.quintadaboeira.pt