Portuguese wine festival, Festa, announces inaugural line-up

By James Bayley

Published: 04 March, 2022

A ground-breaking celebration of Portuguese wine, gastronomy and culture, will be held at Tobacco Dock, in Wapping, London, from June 24-25. The inaugural edition of FESTA will pay tribute to festivals, which are at the heart of traditional Portuguese culture.

Curated by Max Graham, founder of Bar Douro - one of London’s leading Portuguese restaurants and wine bars - and acclaimed Portuguese wine critic, Sarah Ahmed, the festival will stretch across three sections of Tobacco Dock, encompassing wine, restaurants, a Portuguese Mercado and wine shop.

Over 50 wine growers and artisans from across Portugal will convene at Tobacco Dock, bringing their most exciting wines to London, many of which will be making their UK debut.

Visitors will also, for the very first time under one roof, be able to try over 250 wines made from well over 100 grape varieties from every wine-growing region in Portugal.

FESTA wine director Sarah Ahmed said: “The calibre and range of wines and producers is extraordinary. Max and I are honoured and thrilled in equal measure that FESTA will showcase over 50 producers making wine in every nook and cranny of Portugal, including her islands. Our selection represents everything that is exciting about the Portuguese wine scene today.”

Across the two days, Sarah Ahmed will be curating themed wine walks and talks as well as FESTA wine boxes which will be available to purchase from Festa’s wine shop, allowing visitors to take the experience home with them. Sarah will also host exclusive ‘red carpet’ tastings of fine and rare Portuguese wines.

For the trade and press session on Friday, Sarah has curated four exclusive panels featuring Portuguese winery owners, winemakers and experts. The full programme of panel discussions will be announced next month.

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