The Douro Wine Fest brings together Douro Region wine producers, chefs, restaurants, and other representatives of the tourism sector in the Douro region.
With the goal of attracting visitors to the region and boosting the region’s wine and food industry, the Douro Wine Fest has certainly contributed to the promotion of the local and regional economy, increasing Northern Portugal’s presence on the world stage.
Against the backdrop of the Douro River and the colourful step-terraces during harvest season, the Douro Wine Fest was held for the first time in Peso da Régua between 18 and 21 September. For the event, the open-air Régua pier was transformed into a modular structure providing several stands for exhibitors, tasting rooms, lounge areas, an area for cooking demonstrations and workshops, a space for children, and other features dedicated to the arts and culture in general.
The Douro Wine Fest programme focused on wine and gastronomy, with Guided Tastings, Culinary Demonstrations, Practical Classes, and Chef's Duels, where recipes had to be linked to Douro wines as an ingredient and/or in the pairing, totalling more than 50 activities over the four days of the festival. It was in this context that the prestigious Chef Flávio Silva from O Buke Restaurant of the Villa Pampilhosa Hotel once again participated in this festival.
Duels between unlikely Chefs and Winemakers were also programmed, in which public figures and celebrities directly or indirectly linked to the region, tourism, culture, gastronomy or the Douro, surprisingly in the role of chef or winemaker.