On the evening of 13 March, the Pax Júlia Teatro Municipal de Beja hosted the Opening Gala of the European Wine City 2026, formally marking the handover from Cariñena, Spain, to Baixo Alentejo.
The ceremony signalled the official start of a comprehensive programme of initiatives to be developed by the 13 municipalities of Baixo Alentejo throughout 2026 under the European Wine City designation.
The European Wine City initiative is promoted by the Recevin (European Network of Wine Cities). The event was attended by Angelo Radica, President of the Network.
Also present was Luís Encarnação, President of the Associação de Municípios Portugueses do Vinho (AMPV), RECEVIN’s partner organisation in Portugal for the promotion of this initiative.
The welcome address was delivered by Nuno Palma Ferro, Mayor of Beja. Fernando Romba, First Secretary of the CIMBAL, presented the European Wine City 2026 programme, which features a diverse calendar of initiatives, including festivals, a wine competition, the third edition of the World Congress on Sustainable Wine Tourism, thematic talks, a gastronomy week, the national “Wine Territories Ambassadors” competition, Dark Sky Alqueva and Wine, the Wine Music Series (combining wine and classical music), Gravel & Wine, World Wine Tourism Day, Vitifrades (celebrating traditional vinho de talha), and Vin&Cultura, among other initiatives.
The European Wine City designation aims to strengthen Baixo Alentejo’s position as a tourism destination, with a particular focus on wine tourism. This objective will be pursued through an integrated and distinctive programme that brings together culture, heritage, science, well-being, and nature, all centred around wine and the region’s rural identity.
The initiative is being developed by the CIMBAL under the TIBA – Turismo Integrado do Baixo Alentejo project, funded by Alentejo 2030.
On 14 March, the Municipality of Beja organised a visit to Herdade da Malhadinha Nova for representatives of the Associação de Municípios Portugueses do Vinho (AMPV) and Recevin. The visit aimed to showcase one of the region’s benchmark wine tourism projects, highlighting the quality, innovation, and authenticity that characterise Baixo Alentejo’s wine and tourism offer.
