Tejo Regional Wine Commission celebrated 25th anniversary and end of harvest with ‘Adiafa do Tejo’

The Tejo Regional Wine Commission (CVR Tejo) has just celebrated its 25th anniversary, an event that coincided with the time of the harvest – or the end of it. Two reasons that were the perfect motto for the realization of ‘Adiafa do Tejo’, an event conceived a few years ago, but postponed due to the pandemic. In a spirit of joy and relaxation, the first edition took place this Saturday, the 24th of September, in Só Rio, an activity park recently opened in Valada do Ribatejo, overlooking the river that gives its name to the region. No date yet, this event promises to return for the farewell to the 2023 harvest.

In some wine regions, ‘Adiafa’ is the name given to the end-of-harvest event, where producers and employees gather for a festive lunch. In the case of ‘Adiafa do Tejo’, CVR Tejo wanted to bring together wine producers, employees, family and friends, having opened the event to the public, in a program for the whole family, between 16:00 and 21:00. Tasting of Tagus Wines and live music – with the Eden Acústico project – for the adults; adventure activities, water sports and non-alcoholic cocktails for the little ones. Added to this was a novelty with the signature of Vinhos do Tejo: cocktails made from wines from Fernão Pires, the queen of the Tagus grape variety, made by the sommelier Rodolfo Tristão. With sparkling wine, white wines, more aromatic or not so much, and liqueur, there were three proposals that surprised – and a lot! – those present: Tejo Tônico, Tejo Winejito and Tejo Sunset. Before the start of the ‘Adiafa’ itself, CVR Tejo offered its employees a delicious lunch at the OH!RIO restaurant, located next to the park. A warm moment, during which the three oldest employees of this entity were entitled to an extra gift. They were João Silvestre, current director-general of the Wine Commission, but with different functions for a quarter of a century now; Marco Marques and Ana Martinez, from the certification and quality departments and with around twenty years of experience.

The CVRs are inter-professional associations, with the task of representing the production and trade of the wine sector in a given region. The Vinhos do Tejo was established on 17 September 1997, at the time as the Regional Wine Commission of Ribatejo, name that would later be changed to the Regional Wine Commission of the Tejo, on the 24th of November 2008. It is your responsibility to monitor compliance of the rules and the certification of white, rosé, red, sparkling, liqueur wines, brandies and vinegars produced in the region, entitled to the Tagus Denomination of Origin (DO do Tejo) and the Geographical Indication Tejo (IG Tejo). Any wine certified by CVR Tejo has the Tejo guarantee seal on its label. On its 25th anniversary, CVR Tejo has Luís de Castro as president – a position he has held since May 1, 2014.

For Luís de Castro, CVR Tejo’s mission is to promote the certification of wines produced in the demarcated region, bringing more value to the territory, socially and economically speaking; help in the promotion of Tagus Wines, in Portugal and in the export markets, helping in their diversification; and give the region tools so that the Tagus Wines have more and more recognition and notoriety among the consumer. We believe that, in the last 25 years, we have been fulfilling this purpose. A gradual increase in the certification and quality of Tagus Wines is proof of this. And this is a work that is only possible with teamwork and union between all: elements of CVR Tejo and producers. It is this sense of group and joint mission – elevating the Vinhos do Tejo brand, here and abroad – that makes us look to the future with great enthusiasm. At the national level, after the ‘Tejo a Copo’, in March, and the ‘Vintage of Fernão Pires do Tejo’, at the end of August, we started this “new tradition”, which is the ‘Adiafa do Tejo’. All carried out in the region, for which we want to capture the maximum attention, we think it is an excellent way to join forces, get closer as a region, for producers to exchange impressions and to celebrate another harvest. That next year, we are all together again celebrating another excellent year for the Tagus Wines’.