At the Nossa Senhora da Saúde Community Hall, Saturday night (24.02) was marked by the celebration of the winners of the Grape Competition of the 34th Grape Festival, an event that brought together 236 exhibitors, 594 entries and representatives from seven municipalities. The announcement of the winners, held on February 16, culminated in the delivery of trophies, medals and certificates in nine categories, recognizing the first, second and third placed.
The grapes, including the award-winning ones – now identified with an exclusive seal – are on display to the public on the mezzanine of the Festa Pavilions Events Center. This space offers a unique insight into the 38 participating grape varieties.
Mayor Adiló Didomenico congratulated the winegrowers present for the quality of the grapes presented.
“This year you did phenomenally. Even with so much bad weather, with such adverse weather, the grapes are beautiful! Thank you very much and congratulations to all the producers.”
Photo by: Ícaro de Campos
Rudimar Menegotto, Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply and Director of Agriculture at Festa da Uva, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the samples presented. In his speech, he highlighted a letter from 1886, sent by an Italian immigrant to his family in Italy, reflecting the history and importance of Italian immigration to the region and the event.
The Queen of the Grape Festival, Lizandra Melo Chinali, emphasized the historical significance of the grape exhibition, remembering that the Grape Festival originated from a similar exhibition.
The event also paid tribute to the grape exhibition evaluators, a team made up of renowned professionals in the field of agronomy and viticulture, including Flavio Hillebrand, Valtair Comachio, Rodrigo Luis Boff, Paulo Adolfo Tesser, Luis Carlos Diel Rupp, Alex Maquiel Klein and Maurício Bonafé.
The end of the event was marked by a special moment, where the ladies of the community presented the guests with the song Mèrica, Mèrica, symbolizing Italian cultural heritage.
Authorities such as vice-mayor Paula Ioris, the president of Festa da Uva, Fernando Bertotto, the president of the Chamber of Councilors and vice-president of Festa da Uva, Marisol Santos, also attended the event, highlighting its relevance for the community local.
