Wine Festival

The Vines

Occupy 2 hectares of the cultivated area of the Quinta which are  planted with the following grape varieties: Arnsburger, Nacional Touriga, Verdelho and Tinta Roriz. The soil and the specific climatic conditions of Achada do Gramacho produce an excellent wine. The picking of the grapes occurs in September when the Wine Festival takes place (1)
  

Wine Festival

Every year, during the first fortnight of September, Quinta do Furão organizes the wine festival offering clients and visitors an unique experience.

It is an exclusive moment like the “old times”. Grapes are pressed in a wine press (2) in the traditional way, with bare feet, and anybody who shows interest can join in. The grape pressing is accompanied by the traditional music sung by local folk dancers.
A buffet lunch with local and regional food with meat on a kebab cooked on the spot is served to visitors and guests.
With this event we try to give continuity to Madeira´s tradition ensuring that it is not forgotten and promoting this experience locally and internationally.

Wine Press (2)

The grapes are pressed by barefooted men marking time in a slow rhythmic step. The new wine or must is drained through a side outlet into a container.

From the Wine Press the new wine is transported to the wine lodges. In olden days the means of transport was the borracho or goat skin, (3) but nowadays it is transported in almost cylindrical barrels with an iron handle called 'Barrileiros'.
 

The Borracho or Goat Skin (3)

An ancient custom that came to Madeira with the first settlers and it is a very old means of transport. Due to the orography of the island it became a very useful and important object for the transport of must and wine. It is a tanned goat skin turned inside out holding 45 to 50 litres.

During the transport the goat skin lies across the back at shoulders height held in place by a band across the forehead of the carrier (borracheiro).