Wine Festival | MBtours

festa-vinho-g

The Wine Festival is one of Madeira’s tourist attractions that pays tribute to this precious nectar and its undeniable socioeconomic significance.

Taking place during the grape harvest in late August, early September, this event aims to recreate the old traditions of Madeira, which were developed over centuries of labour in viticulture.

This event has been commemorated since the late seventies of the last century. It begins in Funchal and includes European Folklore Week, ornamentations, exhibitions and live portraits depicting wine and its crafts and light and traditional music performances.

This Festival culminates in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, with the Wine Harvest Festival. Find out more about what to expect from the Madeira Wine Festival:

Saturday
On Saturday morning all attention is focused on the Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, where the Wine Harvest Festival takes place. The harvest takes place on a Madeiran farm, followed by an ethnographic parade with the participation of a large number of folklore and ethnography groups. After the parade, the treading of the grapes is re-enacted – participation is free – using a traditional press in a festive atmosphere with lots of musical entertainment and regional cuisine.

Other initiatives included in the programme:

European Folklore Week
European Folklore Week, an event organised by the Boa Nova Ethnography and Folk Group, is a folklore festival that aims to promote an intercultural gathering and promote ethnographic realities, with the participation of national and foreign groups.

Live Wine Harvest

On Saturday morning all attention is focused on the Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, where the Wine Harvest Festival takes place. The harvest takes place on a Madeiran farm, followed by an ethnographic parade with the participation of a large number of folklore and ethnography groups. After the parade the treading of the grapes is re-enacted – participation is free – using a traditional press in a festive atmosphere with lots of musical entertainment and regional cuisine.

Street Entertainment

The city centre of Funchal, especially the central walkway of Avenida Arriaga, will be filled with various adornments comprising several viticulture tools (presses, casks, barrels, grape picking baskets, traditional means of transportation), living portraits and actors who re-enact the winemaking process in Madeira (grape pressing, re-enactment of the regional craftsmen traditional customs), food, Madeira wine tastings and exhibitions and regional handicrafts. Performances by local folklore groups, traditional Madeiran music and light music performances by the Madeira Light Orchestra will also liven up the four days of the festival.