Levira, Portugal Faces Environmental Disaster as Red Wine Floods Town Streets

In a shocking incident, two holding tanks at a distillery in Levira, Portugal gave way, resulting in a crimson tide of red wine flooding the town's streets and heading towards a waterway.

Videos circulating online capture the surreal sight of wine flowing through the picturesque streets of Levira, even cascading down a steep hill in São Lorenco de Bairro where around 2,000 residents reside.

The massive amount of wine that escaped from the burst tanks is estimated to be capable of filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool, raising concerns and triggering an environmental alert.

The affected tanks were owned by Levira Distillery, which has since expressed deep regret for the incident and apologized to its neighbors.

The distillery's Facebook post stated, 'We deeply regret the incident that occurred this morning involving the bursting of 2 suitable-to-consumption DOC wine storage units stemming from the extraordinary government support measure to producers and wineries of the Distillation Crisis 2023, motivated by the excess of wine in the country.' They also expressed sincere concern for the damage caused and assured their commitment to resolving the situation.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by authorities, as the community grapples with the aftermath of the wine spill.

Levira Distillery, in a later post, extended gratitude to the Anadia Municipal Council, Civil Protection, Volunteer Firefighters of Anadia, and GNR SEPNA for their swift intervention in minimizing the impact of the incident.

Their efforts are focused on collecting the spilled wine and its byproducts while ensuring minimal disruption to the wineries and producers they have collaborated with over the years.

The distillery is prepared to take full responsibility for the costs associated with damage cleanup and repair. They have dedicated crews available for immediate action and requested residents to document the damages for further coordination.

The incident has left the small town of Levira shaken, and the community is coming together to address the environmental and logistical challenges posed by this unexpected event.