A small Portuguese town experienced an bizarre event when two tanks belonging to a local distillery burst, resulting in a tsunami of red wine.
Approximately 2.2 million litres (581,000 gallons) of wine flooded the streets of São Lourenço do Bairro, creating a scene that left residents running to the kitchen to fetch their glasses.
The video footage of this incident quickly went viral worldwide.
Verdadeiro rio de vinho em Anadia.
— _o_cabra_da_peste (@nuno_mar) September 11, 2023
Calamidade! pic.twitter.com/LejLz17XuK
The sheer quantity of wine spilled was enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, triggering a local environmental alert.
Prompt action was taken by local officials to prevent the wine from flowing into the Certima River. The Anadia Fire Department successfully diverted the wine to a nearby field. However, one cellar was reportedly flooded, leading to efforts to repair the damage and safeguard local farms, vineyards, and water supplies.
The incident occurred as part of the government’s “crisis distillation” program, which aims to remove surplus wine from the market before the upcoming harvest. This storage of wine was expected to be converted into alcohol. Portugal, renowned for its high wine consumption rate per capita, has witnessed a significant decline in wine consumption due to various factors including inflation.
While no injuries were reported during this extraordinary event, the cleanup required significant resources. The Levira Distillery, responsible for the burst tanks, expressed deep regret and pledged to cover the costs associated with the cleanup and repairs.
As the picturesque town returns to normalcy, efforts are underway to restore tranquility and ensure the incident doesn’t impact local vineyards and water supplies.
