Anadia, Portugal, March 10, 2025 (Lusa) - Eight producers from the Bairrada region are opening the doors of their cellars to taste their wines and raise awareness of baga, a "traditionally difficult" grape variety, the organisation revealed on Monday.
"We want to bring people closer to baga, a traditionally difficult grape variety, and to Bairrada wines. By visiting the estates, we aim to raise awareness of the baga grape variety," emphasised Luís Gomes, producer and mentor of the GIZ project.
The initiative is scheduled for 3 May, as part of International Baga Day, established in 2022 by the "Baga Friends", a group of Bairrada producers who, in 2012, came together to create an association to promote the region's "queen grape variety" around the world.
The estates of the producers who have been part of the Baga Friends since the beginning—Luís Pato, Filipa Pato, Quinta das Bágeiras, Quinta da Vacariça, Quinta de Baixo / Niepoort, Sidónio de Sousa, and Vadio—will be open for business. Luís Gomes will join this year with the GIZ project.
"I've been following this walk since day one and have always identified with the "Baga Friends" group. Baga is a grape variety that I particularly admire, as it's one of the best grape varieties in the world. I started working with it ten years ago, and now I think it is time to be part of this group," he said.
Speaking to Lusa, Luís Gomes explained that when they open the doors of their cellars, the baga variety will be celebrated with exclusive wine tastings, typical dishes and entertainment.
Visits can be made between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on 3 May, with the purchase of a €50 pass, which gives access to wine tasting at the eight estates and participation in a festival.
"This year, to help defend and promote the region's queen grape variety, we're also going to have a festival at the end of the day, which will take place until midnight at the Club d'Ancas [Anadia]," he said.
The venue will offer various activities, including exhibitions by local artists who interpret the berry, films/documentaries about the "Baga Friends", music with a DJ and other presentations.
The "Baga Friends" have over 175 hectares of vineyards, more than 50% of which are baga plantations.
"This group has already done a lot for the baga. The variety is definitely in fashion and those who criticised baga years ago now think it's the best. This reflects the work of "Amigos da Baga", said producer Luís Pato.
The baga grape variety represents 4% of the area planted in Portugal, and is the seventh most used red grape variety in wine production at the national level".
Of the more than eight thousand hectares planted throughout the country, "Bairrada is the region with the greatest area, in the order of 3,500 hectares".
Bairrada is a wine region between the Atlantic coast and the neighbouring rural region of Dão.
CMM/ADB // ADB.
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