Wine Festivals in Europe

Madeira Wine Festival, Portugal

The festival takes places 2 – 5 September 2010 on the Portuguese island of Madeira. During the festival, the island’s capital Funchal is decorated with flags and lights and there are performances by local musicians.  The highlight is the Wine Harvest kicking off at 10am on the 5th of September where locals and tourists pick and trample the grapes.

Delicata Wine Festivals, Malta

The 8th annual festival, in Malta’s capital city Valetta, runs from 5 – 8 August 2010. The venue is Upper Barraka Gardens which has lovely views down to the harbour. From 3 – 5 September there’s another wine festival in the the the village of Nadur on the neighbouring island of Gozo,.with live entertainment every evening.

Bordeaux Wine Festival, France

This four day event takes place towards the end of June.  The packed events programme includes Magical Evening with wine related footage on a large outdoor screen and fireworks every evening.  A Vineyard pass offers a visit to three different wine estates with coach transport, wine tastings and lunch included.  With a tasting pass you can try 12 different wines.

Fiesta de la Vendimiia de Regueria,  Spain

On the Noche de Zurra, there’s a plea for water from local growers in the Regeria wine growing region in the Valencia district,  to ensure a good grape harvest the following year. A great harvest is ensured by a drenching by other locals and tourist equipped with buckets and hoses.  You could always stay indoors during this and emerge for a dry tasting of the first pressing.

Stuttgart Wine Village, Germany

This event takes place between 25 August and 5 September 2010. It’s in the super league of wine festivals with over a million visitors and 250 different wines to try.  There are many wine festivals in Germany all year round.

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Slovenia Wine Festival

The 13th Slovenian Wine Festival takes place from 18 -19 November in the capital Ljubjana and  also focuses on local cuisine. It features a Wine Route and various workshops.

Chianti Classico wine festival, Italy

The Tuscan town of Grieve in Chianti is home to the Chianta Classico festival from 10 – 12 September 2010.  Here you pay for a wine glass, 10 euro last year, allowing you to taste up to eight of the wines on offer at the stalls.

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