To talk about wine is to go back to secular traditions that come to us as archaeological evidence of customs and cultures in territories located in the most varied latitudes. Since the Roman times, wine has been associated with medicinal properties that were believed to provide greater health. We find references to this nectar of the gods in pagan legends, as well as in the Christian Bible.

If all this cultural heritage is clearly present in the Beira Interior region - and indelibly marks its history and heritage - this was the last Portuguese region to enjoy the important title of demarcated region. Despite the centuries-old vineyards and exclusive indigenous grape varieties, it was only in 1999 that the Beira Interior wine boundary was established, integrating three sub-regions associated with Castelo Rodrigo, Pinhel and Cova da Beira.

This lengthy demarcation could be another sign of the asymmetries of investment in Portuguese territory. But I like to see it differently: it is the evidence that, after many decades of lesser self-appreciation, in more recent times the potential of this region has begun to be properly recognized, both from the outside and from within. . As if, when other territories began to exhaust their tourist potential and availability for new investments, this was the last pearl to be discovered in Portuguese territory.

Contrary to what one might imagine, this late “discovery” can have numerous advantages. Protected from the pressure of the wild maelstrom that characterized past decades, the region has mostly preserved its natural and heritage qualities. Learning from past mistakes, you can now trace a more balanced path. Using the democratization of scientific knowledge in recent years, the region can launch more structured, more qualified, more friendly initiatives for a sustainable future.

This was the type of work that we came to discover in the Beira Interior Regional Wine Commission - and that is why we wanted to have you as partners of the 2027 European Capital of Culture Candidacy. We are pleased to have selected wines to which the Guarda seal is affixed 2027, just as we are particularly proud to serve wines from the region at the events we organize. But, above all - as is our intention with any cultural, patron or institutional partner of the Candidacy - we foster the desire to establish creative collaborations that have expression and relevance in the cultural program of 2027 and the years around.

Representing 17 municipalities in Beira Interior, Guarda 2027 considers wine production in the region as a historical, natural and cultural heritage, characterizing the specificities that distinguish us. In this sense, it is with pleasure that we associate ourselves with the promotion of the new Beira Interior Wine Route as a cultural project that combines the valorization of an indigenous product with the playful discovery of the territory. And we will also be happy to design other programs that will reinforce the European dimension of the Candidacy and help to project the region's values in a new international context.

Executive Director Guarda 2027, Pedro Gadanho