A river of surplus wine roared through the streets of a small town in Portugal

Dennis Romero and Parnia Mazhar
Updated ·2 min read
39

A distillery apologized to neighbors after a river of surplus wine rushed down a narrow, hilly street in a small town in Portugal.

The alcoholic flash flood Sunday in São Lourenço de Bairro was captured on video and appeared as a torrent of red wine. No injuries were reported, but the wine may have entered a home's basement, according to the distiller, Destilaria Levira, and the Portuguese news platform Jornal Diário de Aveiro.

Firefighters diverted the flow from a nearby river and into fields, the publication reported.

Spilled red wine runs through the streets after two tanks burst in São Lourenço do Bairro, Portugal on Sept. 10, 2023. (Ana Nunes / AP)
Spilled red wine runs through the streets after two tanks burst in São Lourenço do Bairro, Portugal on Sept. 10, 2023. (Ana Nunes / AP)

Destilaria Levira said in a statement that the release happened after two storage tanks burst. The cause was under investigation.

The distillery apologized and said it would handle cleanup, repair and damage.

Jornal Diário de Aveiro said more than 580,000 gallons of wine ended up in streets.

The distillery said its bountiful storage was the result of governmental response to a wine surplus in Europe, caused by decreasing demand. Destilaria Levira described the oversupply as a crisis.

In June, the European Commission, the day-to-day executive leadership of the European Union, acknowledged the oversupply and said it would support measures to convert excess wine to biofuel.

"The wine sector is being hit by reduced consumption due to the current inflation on food and drinks prices, which in association with a good 2022 harvest and ensuing consequences of the market difficulties during the pandemic have led to an accumulation of stocks," the commission said in a statement.

The distillery, about 140 miles north of Lisbon, said its storage facility was part of the government's efforts.

Wine consumption in Portugal was expected to be down 34% compared to 2022, the commission said. Decreased wine consumption was also projected for Germany (down 22%), France (15%), Spain (10%) and Italy (7%).

The European wine crisis came after a 2022 that marked an all-time high value for global wine exports, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine. Decreasing demand has been mismatched with higher production, which the commission projects to be up 4% so far this year for member nations.

Portugal and France are among the countries that have responded with subsidized programs to convert surplus wine to other uses.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com