The protest was organized by the National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), with between 400 and 500 producers gathering in front of the Régua station in the Vila Real district. When the time came to advance, some followed the organization through the city streets, while others remained at the same location.
The song “Grândola Vila Morena” by Zeca Afonso played, and despite the chant “Douro united will never be defeated,” viticulturists parted ways due to disagreements over how the protest should proceed.
Protesters held signs reading “The Douro is on the brink, in defense of our survival and our lands we succeed,” “We are born without a future,” “We want outlets for our grapes,” “Inspect musts and wines from outside the region,” “We made the heritage,” “Douro winemakers demand equal treatment from the Government as TAP and BES,” and “Douro wines only with Douro grapes.”
Some wore black shirts, and viticulturist Manuel Covas even carried a sprayer on his back, used for treating the vineyards.
“The harvest is around the corner, and there are exporting houses rejecting the viticulturists’ grapes, and that’s very bad. Last year, viticulturists went through a significant crisis and with this second crisis, they can’t withstand it,” stated the farmer from São João da Pesqueira, who said he abandoned the vineyard because he couldn’t “inject any pension money into it.”
Therefore, he stressed, it’s necessary for the “Government to take urgent measures,” such as crisis distillation, “even if it’s the last time, to relieve the cellars and ensure they have the capacity to receive this year’s harvest.”
“We are really suffering, we end up selling the product cheaply, which is the case with grapes, and then someone goes to a restaurant and pays a fortune for a bottle and we sell it almost for nothing,” said Vitor Souto from Tabuaço.
The producer listed difficulties like production costs (products and fuel) and labor, and then said that a barrel of wine (750 kilos of grapes) sells for 200 or 300 euros.
“Last year I managed to sell the grapes, but at very cheap prices. Just during the harvest, we spend the amount we receive for the barrel of wine,” he emphasized.
Therefore, he highlighted the importance of being there today “to open the eyes of the government so they understand what’s happening.”
“We are being greatly harmed, the Douro is a World Heritage site, but if we start giving up, it will be overrun with brambles and shrubs, and then I want to see what they’ll show to tourists,” highlighted Vitor Souto.
Jorge Teixeira from Régua shouted several times, “Enough.” “Enough of spending the money and not seeing our income, we are impoverishing cheerfully,” he emphasized.
Ester Ventura from Armamar sold her vineyards “because wine wasn’t profitable.” “We wandered all year working, and the wine didn’t sell, and what sold was cheap,” she stressed.
“Wherever there are viticulturists, the Casa do Douro must be present. It shows that we are not happy with what’s happening, the moment of viticulture in the Douro is a downward spiral,” stated the president of the institution, Rui Paredes, who mentioned that the Government is studying some measures for the region.
One proposed measure is the grape for distillation, which allows the viticulturist to harvest grapes that are exclusively for distillation, with direct financial compensation.
“The Douro has been in mourning for many years and can’t take it anymore,” assured Marinete Alves, a viticulturist who supports producing spirits from regional grapes, a measure she says should be gradually implemented, along with setting a minimum price for grape sales and establishing a Grape Observatory.
The protesters who proceeded walked along the main avenue of Régua, João Franco, then passing by the headquarters of Casa do Douro and IVDP, where there were some speeches by the protest organizers.
The others remained at noon in front of the station, blocking traffic on one of the main access roads to the city in the south of Vila Real district.
By 12:50, all protesters had dispersed and traffic in the station area began to flow normally.
