A video shows the moment a town in Portugal suddenly became flooded with 2.2 million liters of wine.
Now, if you’re anything like me, you may like to unwind at the end of a long week by enjoying a glass of red wine. Heck, nothing goes better with a fancy meal than a large glass of Rioja or Cabernet Sauvignon.
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In fact, I’m sure there are some wine enthusiasts out there who would jump at the opportunity tp live in a town where wine flows like rivers.
Well, in September 2023, that’s exactly what happened in the picturesque town of São Lourenco do Bairro in Portugal.
Yes, the small town found itself immersed in a sea of red wine when two massive tanks owned by Levira Distillery spilled a staggering 2.2 million liters, per the Daily Mail. The result? A scene that looked almost biblical, as the tranquil town was momentarily transformed.
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It really does give new meaning to the phrase, “paint the town red”.
As a literal river of red wine coursed down a steep hill towards the nearby Certima River, the local authorities were forced to issue an environmental alert, fearing the contamination of the Certima River.
The Anadia Fire Department sprang into action, blocking and diverting the wine away from the river’s path, channeling it harmlessly into a field nearby.
One unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your outlook) homeowner found their basement overwhelmed by the wine flood.
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The Levira Distillery later issued an apology for the disastrous event and took immediate steps to mitigate the damage.
The local winery apologized for the incident. Credit: ASMR/Getty
In a statement, they declared: “We assume full responsibility for the costs associated with cleaning and repairing the damage, having teams available to do so immediately. We are committed to resolving this situation as quickly as possible.”
In response to the widely-shared viral video, social media users had their fun in the comments section, with one X user writing: “Damn the earthworms are gonna be real hungover tomorrow.”
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A second asked: “Why is no one out there filling up jugs?”
Another mused: “This would make a great background for a Hollywood special effects scene.”
If the wine spillage has piqued your interest, have you ever heard of the great beer flood in London?
Taking place in St. Giles in the English city, The Horse Shoe Brewery operated on the corner of Great Russell Street and Tottenham Court Road.
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In 1810, the brewery had a 22-foot high wooden fermentation tank installed, which is the equivalent of 3,500 barrels of beer.
Fast forward four years to 1814, and one of the iron rings around the tank snapped, meaning that the hot fermenting beer was unleashed with such power that it ruptured the other vats and smashed a hole in the wall of the brewery.
What followed was around 320,000 gallons of beer rushing down Tottenham Court Road, which at the time was inhabited by those with little money such as criminals and others down on their luck.
Although a flood of beer might sound like a funny story, this incident left a stench in the area for months and sadly claimed the lives of eight people.
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A fact that might come in handy in a pub quiz, is that more people (eight in total) were killed in the London Beer Flood of 1814 than were killed in the Great Fire Of London, which claimed six lives, in 1666.
