If there’s one thing about the Portuguese, it’s that they love their wine. In fact, according to the International Organisation of Vine & Wine, Portugal is the world’s leader in wine consumption per capita. Knowing that, the news of red wine flooding the streets of the small town São Lourenço do Bairro doesn’t seem so surprising.
Two tanks at Destilaria Levira burst recently, leaking roughly 2.2 million liters of red wine (nearly 581,000 gallons) into the surrounding streets according to the local newspaper Diário de Coimbra. A video of the “river of wine” flowing down a street and over curbs hit the web and instantly went viral. It’s like something right out of a romance film.
Verdadeiro rio de vinho em Anadia.
— _o_cabra_da_peste (@nuno_mar) September 11, 2023
Calamidade! pic.twitter.com/LejLz17XuK
In response, the company issued a statement in which they expressed their disappointment with the incident and pledged to cover the costs of the damage. Located near Portugal’s coast, São Lourenço do Bairro is almost an hour's drive south from Porto.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, tipsy maybe, but nothing serious. One unfortunate cellar was flooded with wine. Officials are now moving to repair the damages and prevent nearby farms, vineyards, and water supplies from being exposed to wine.
