On January 26, at the Mar de Ar Muralha Hotel in Évora, we will get to know "The Best Sommelier Wines of Alentejo in Brazil", in which is the 5th edition of the contest that annually elects the new ambassador of the Wines of the Alentejo in Brazil. This year there are 8 competitors in the fight to occupy this place, which last year was conquered by Wallace Gonçalves Neves, sommelier of the Sheraton Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

The 8 Brazilian finalists will arrive in Portugal on January 22 and will have the opportunity to take a real tour of the Alentejo, with exclusive tasting by the region, training sessions, wine tastings and, finally, a written, oral and practical test, where all the knowledge acquired will be put to the test. During this week, these specialists will contact some of the main Alentejo producers in order to experience the true Alentejo spirit and learn from the region's leading experts the secrets of Alentejo wine.

After this training period, the jury will decide which of the 8 competitors - Frederico Benjamim de Souza Nunes and Rafael Costacurta from Brasília, Alessandro Pescara and Mizael Tavares Gomes from Curitiba, Amauri Santana de Souza and Adriano Henrique Cândido de Souza from Rio de Janeiro and Aldo Assada and Débora Cristine Vendramini from São Paulo - brings together the best capacities to represent Alentejo Wines in Brazil. This year the jury will be composed by Francisco Mateus, president of the CVR Alentejana, Alexandre Lalas, Brazilian journalist and wine critic and Guilherme Correa, the important Brazilian sommelier, who now works in Portugal.

For Francisco Mateus, President of the CVRA "this is an initiative that puts competitors in direct contact with Alentejo wines, with its history and with all the characteristics that make them unique. It is an opportunity that they have to exchange experiences with the professionals of the region and that translates into an unequaled experience. For us, this is a very important competition because this person will be our ambassador in Brazil, the person who will represent us and who will intensify the notoriety and positioning of our brand in the Brazilian market. "

This is an annual contest that the Alentejo Wines promoted for the first time in 2014. It is an initiative that makes the relationship between the Alentejo and Brazil even closer. Having been the country where the Alentejo Wines most exported in 2017, it is important to have professionals who know the specificities and characteristics of them.