Q – The 15th Beira Interior Wine Competition is over, can it be said that the wine produced in the region is getting better and better? What stands out from this edition? R – The balance is frankly positive. We had around 30 producers competing and the “feedback” I had from the judges – eight women and eight men – was that the general quality of the wines from Beira Interior is very high. That for us, as an institution, is the most important thing. Q - How have the jury scores evolved in recent years? R – These competitions have in their rules that the wines awarded can only be 30 percent of the number of samples in competition (these are the rules of the OIV). If this were not the case, there would surely be more medals. Q – Fifteen years later, how do you feel about this contest? R – In these fifteen years the region has made an extraordinary journey and this same journey is mainly due to our associates, who are the reason for being of the Regional Wine Commission of Beira Interior. In this period the region grew exponentially, both in terms of new operators and qualitatively. The holding of these competitions was fundamental for the affirmation of Beira Interior, which, at the time, was almost unknown in the national panorama. Today there is already an incomparably greater recognition and notoriety of our wines than 15 years ago. Therefore, I would like to leave a word of gratitude to NERGA, which was very important in carrying out the first events and helped us to project the region in regional and national terms. Q - What are the effects of inflation and the War in Ukraine on the sector? R – Obviously, the situation is difficult, prices have risen in an overwhelming way and the markets of Russia and Ukraine have closed, which means that wines that were to be sold in these markets will have to find new destinations and that , of course, creates increased pressure on distribution. What we try to do, in situations where we can intervene, is to look for new markets. An example of this are reverse missions with importers (Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, etc.) that we are preparing so that our associates have other markets to sell their wines. Q – The Beira Interior Wine Route continues to grow, what is the state of play at the moment? R – Fortunately, and despite the situation – first the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine – we have managed to have more municipalities with us in this territorial promotion project, which is very important to complement the income of our producers. We have participated in national and Iberian fairs dedicated to wine tourism, we have partnerships with other regions of the Center of Portugal, with the support of Turismo do Centro, and partnerships also with the Historical Villages of Portugal, with restaurants, hotels and, of course, our wineries. producers. We also have a physical store at the headquarters of the Wine Commission, in addition to an online store. Q – The first “Guarda Wine Fest” takes place this weekend, what are your expectations? R – Expectations are the best! This partnership between the municipality of Guarda, to which we are very grateful for the possibility of holding this event together, and the CVR of Beira Interior will certainly result in an event that we want to be a reference in the summer in our region and in this way give the opportunity to people and the many wine tourists that we hope to receive this weekend to taste and even purchase wines from Beira Interior and the neighboring regions of Dão and Douro. It will also certainly be an excellent opportunity for our emigrants, who are starting to arrive on vacation, to be able to taste the best that is produced in our land. They will surely want to take a little of our region and nothing better than a bottle of wine, which symbolizes much more than a drink. It means taking a little bit of our “terroir”, which is nothing more than the aromas and flavors, the knowledge, the climate, the land, in short, taking a little bit of the region to kill homesickness.

RODOLFO QUEIRÓS

President of the Beira Interior Regional Wine Commission Age: 48 years old Natural birth: Marco de Canaveses Occupation: Agronomist engineer Resumé: Degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, with a Post-Graduation in Wine Marketing from the Escola Superior Agrária de Ponte de Lima; Holder of Level 3 by the British School Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET); Coordinator of the Postgraduate Course in Wine Tourism at the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda; Vice-President of the Portuguese Wine Routes Association; Trainer in the Sommelier Course (Atlas of the world of wines) at Turismo de Portugal and Enogastronomy at Turismo de Portugal; Taster in several national and international competitions Favorite book: “Ecuador”, by Miguel Sousa Tavares Favorite film: “A Vida é Bela”, by Roberto Benigni Hobbies: Travel with family and friends, practice some sport.

Source:https://ointerior.pt/cara-a-cara/a-qualidade-dos-vinhos-da-beira-interior-esta-muito-alta/