Wine Tsunami: 2.2 Million Liters of Wine Flood Portuguese Town
- IndiaGlitz, [Wednesday,September 13 2023]
Alcohol flowed freely through Levira, Portugal, as two massive wine vats, holding approximately 2.2 million liters of wine, burst at a local distillery, inundating the streets. Images and videos circulated online depicted a crimson river of wine, almost enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, coursing through Levira in central Portugal.
Destilaria Levira expressed regret over the incident, stating on their Facebook page that they were deeply sorry for the damage caused and were actively investigating the rupture's causes. They also pledged full responsibility for the cleanup. Local firefighters assisted in the cleanup efforts, and any salvageable wine was transported to a wastewater treatment facility, preventing it from spilling into a nearby river and averting an environmental catastrophe.
Although the spill lasted about an hour, there was no lingering strong odor, as the wine was of good quality, according to the distillery's CEO, Pedro Carvalho. The mishap occurred due to a structural failure in one tank, which caused a forceful surge of wine that toppled the second vat. These vats had been utilized for excess wine storage.
Portugal, like France and other wine-producing nations, currently faces an oversupply issue, partly due to reduced consumption and other factors.