TOURISM CENTER OF PORTUGAL PROMOTES GUIDE TO WINE TOURISM AND GASTRONOMY
Turismo Centro de Portugal and the five Regional Wine Commissions (CVR) of Centro de Portugal joined b in an initiative that celebrated wine tourism and gastronomy in the region. The event took place at Quinta do Convento, in Alenquer, and ended a three-day visit that took journalists to discover the five wine regions of the territory of Centro de Portugal.
The initiative took place in an informal lunch, complying with all the rules in force, and attended by presidents and other directors of the five CVRs, in addition to Pedro Machado, President of Turismo Centro de Portugal, Pedro Folgado, Mayor of Alenquer, Teresa Ferreira, Director of the Department of Development and Innovation of Tourism in Portugal, Olga Cavaleiro, president of the Portuguese Federation of Gastronomic Confraternities, and chef Diogo Rocha, of the Mesa de Lemos restaurant, among other individuals.
On the occasion, the ”Guide to Wine Tourism and Gastronomy Centro de Portugal” was also presented, , which will be distributed this Saturday with a nationally known newspaper. This 34-page guide lists the main wine tourism units in the five wine regions demarcated in the region - Beira Interior, Dão, Bairrada, Tejo and Lisbon -, also suggesting reference restaurants.
During the initiative, Teresa Ferreira stressed the importance of betting more and more on the sustainability of tourism activity, on a social and environmental level, and appealed to all those present to assume the role of “ambassadors of the best that Portugal has for offer ”.
Rodolfo Queirós, president of CVR Beira Interior, stressed the need for "tourism and wine tourism to go hand in hand" in promoting the region, in an opinion shared by the other leaders. Pedro Soares, president of CVR Bairrada, stressed that all those involved in wine tourism are "always available to receive and tell stories" in their region. Pedro Mendonça, representing the president of CVR Dão, underlined, on the same day that the demarcated region of Dão is 112 years old, that “this is the time to get to know the countryside, to get to know the Dão region” .
Luís de Castro, president of CVR Tejo, praised the “great potential that the region has for wine tourism, with its natural beauty, wines and gastronomy” , while Francisco Toscano Rico, president from CVR Lisboa highlighted “a lot that wine tourism can bring to the territory”. "We want to bring more and more people," he said.
“Gastronomy and wines only taste so much because they are made by people and for people” , considered, in turn, Olga Cavaleiro, who left an appeal for everyone to go to restaurants, in order to help the national economy and save jobs. "The Center recommends itself for the quality of its products and for what it does: we are a country of small things, but very good" , praised chef Diogo Rocha, in his speech.
At the end of the initiative, Pedro Machado highlighted the role of Turismo Centro de Portugal as “bridge builder” among the various actors in the tourist activity, public and private. “We all need to be even more professional and create value. The current situation we are going through may be an opportunity for the territories. We are an extraordinary country that still has a lot to discover and Centro de Portugal, in particular, is a region of unforgettable tourist experiences ”, he added.
Three days to discover the region's wines and gastronomy This initiative ended, symbolically, a three-day visit that a group of journalists paid to the five wine regions of Central Portugal, where they met some emblematic units of the wine tourism segment.
The delegation began by visiting CVR Beira Interior, with stops at Solar do Vinho a Beira Interior, in Guarda, and in vineyards in the Pinhel area. This was followed by CVR Dão, where they met Solar do Vinho do Dão and a producer in Nelas, and CVR Bairrada, namely Espaço Bairrada da Curia and two renowned wineries in this territory.
In the CVR Tejo area, the group met regional producers in Tomar. Finally, at CVR Lisboa, the journalists had contact with a producer in the Cadaval area, before finishing the route at Quinta do Convento.
Source: https://www.diariodigitalcastelobranco.pt/noticia/54429/turismo-centro-de-portugal-promove-guia-de-enoturismo-e-gastronomia-
