Wine Floods Portuguese Village
Credit: Unsplash
2.2 Million Liters of Red Wine Create Spectacular Scene in São Lourenço de Bairro
The tranquil village of São Lourenço de Bairro in Portugal found itself awash in red on a fateful Sunday when two sizeable wine storage tanks, brimming with wine fit for consumption, overturned from the Levira Distillery, unleashing a torrent of 600,000 gallons of pure red wine onto the streets.
To grasp the magnitude of this incident, it’s worth noting that 600,000 gallons equate to approximately 76.8 million bottles of average-sized wine, each holding 25 ounces.
Footage from the scene captured the astonishing sight as the crimson liquid flowed through the winding, hilly village, showing no signs of slowing down.
Swift response was essential to avert environmental damage, as the Anadia Fire Department and environmental authorities feared that the wine might reach the nearby Certima River and contaminate it. Consequently, efforts were made to divert the flow of the wine towards a nearby field, and a special treatment plan has been established for this now-affected area.
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Levira Distillery, taking full responsibility for the cleanup and damages, has pledged to cover all associated costs. In a translated statement via Facebook, the distillery assured immediate action, stating, “We are committed to resolving this situation as quickly as possible.”
Authorities are actively investigating the incident to identify its root cause, and residents have been encouraged to document any damages caused by the spill and reach out to the distillery for assistance.
Remarkably, there have been no reported injuries resulting from this incident, although one resident reported that their basement was inundated.
The Levira Distillery, established in 1923, stands as one of Portugal’s largest distilleries, catering to roughly 30% of the Portuguese market. The recent occurrence stems from the surplus of wine in Europe due to decreased demand brought about by factors like inflation.
Despite the scale of this mishap, the absence of a strong odor in the aftermath, as reported by the distillery’s CEO Pedro Carvalho, can be attributed to the quality of the wine involved.
