VIMAR strengthens ties with Portugal after FATACIL appearance and prepares new event in Tavira

The Wine and Sea Fair (VIMAR) continues to strengthen its links with Portugal. After taking part in the 45th edition of FATACIL, held in Lagoa on 28 August, the Huelva fair is now preparing a new event in the Algarve: it will be present on 4 September at the 12th Feira da Dieta Mediterrânica de Tavira.

The strategy seeks to consolidate ties between Huelva and southern Portugal through gastronomy, wine, the sea and tourism. During its appearance at FATACIL, VIMAR received support from the Regulatory Council for the Condado de Huelva Designations of Origin, which took part in the presentation and pairing with a selection of generic wines.

FATACIL, a showcase for Huelva in the Algarve

FATACIL is Lagoa’s Fair of Crafts, Tourism, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry and is one of the Algarve’s main commercial and tourism events. VIMAR’s participation made it possible to present the fair to Portuguese audiences and professionals linked to various economic and tourism sectors.

The event also served to showcase Huelva’s wine-growing and gastronomic potential, with particular attention to the role of its wines in the identity and cuisine of the region. VIMAR’s institutional presentation took place in the AMAR a TERRA area of the Regional Commission for Coordination and Development of the Algarve, known as CCDR Algarve.

The same venue hosted a joint showcase bringing together wines from the Condado de Huelva PDO and the representative labels of the Algarve Wine Commission. The initiative focused on the relationship between two neighbouring territories and the possibility of strengthening their cooperation around wine culture.

The president of the Algarve Wine Commission, Sara Silva, and VIMAR director Ana Martínez highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation between Andalusia and southern Portugal. Both stressed the need to join forces and bring institutions together to promote wine as a shared heritage, capable of contributing to the vitality of the region and the development of wine tourism.

They also underlined the historical and economic roots connecting Huelva with the Algarve. For VIMAR, this relationship forms part of a strategy aimed at creating opportunities for cooperation between companies, professionals and institutions on both sides of the border.

VIMAR director Ana Martínez explains that the fair’s presence in Portugal is not limited to a one-off promotional activity. “We want to build relationships, establish connections and create opportunities for cooperation between territories that have so much in common,” she says.

Martínez believes that Huelva and the Algarve share culture, gastronomy, wine-making traditions and a deep connection with the sea. In this context, VIMAR aims to become a meeting place for all these connections.

Tavira will host two Condado wine tastings

VIMAR’s Portuguese programme will continue on 4 September with its participation in the 12th Feira da Dieta Mediterrânica de Tavira. This event is linked to gastronomic culture, food, quality products and the traditions that form part of the Mediterranean heritage.

During the fair, VIMAR will offer two explanatory tastings focused on two of the most representative types of wine from the Condado de Huelva PDO. The first will take place at 7.30pm and will be dedicated to young wine.

According to the organisers, this wine is characterised by its freshness, pronounced acidity and varietal expressiveness. The tasting will highlight Zalema, the most characteristic and native grape variety of Condado de Huelva.

At 9.30pm, it will be time for orange wine, a historic style whose distinctive character comes from maceration with aromatic citrus peels and prolonged oxidative ageing. These characteristics give it aromatic complexity and a distinctive personality.

The activities will take place using the visibility of the Mercado da Ribeira, one of the central venues for the culinary demonstrations, tastings and live cooking at the Tavira Mediterranean Diet Fair. The initiative aims to bring Huelva wines closer to Portuguese audiences and professionals through an experience linked to gastronomy.

In addition to presenting Condado products, VIMAR will use its presence to invite attendees to take part in its next edition. The organisers once again want to bring together wine, cuisine, the region and the sea, four elements that form part of the fair’s identity.

“Tavira is a new opportunity to continue building that bridge with Portugal,” says Ana Martínez. The director adds that each VIMAR appearance outside Huelva has a dual purpose: to promote the fair and raise the profile of the region, its products and the companies that form part of this ecosystem.

Martínez also highlights the role of gastronomy as a tool for connecting territories, particularly in the case of Huelva and the Algarve, two areas that are geographically close and share numerous cultural affinities.

VIMAR’s fifth edition will be held in October

The activities held in Lagoa and Tavira form part of VIMAR’s internationalisation strategy. The fair is working to consolidate an increasingly international dimension and to create links around the wine, sea, gastronomy, tourism and agri-food sectors.

The next major event will take place in Huelva on 26 and 27 October 2026, with the fifth edition of the Wine and Sea Fair at the Santa Fe Multifunctional Venue.

The programme will once again bring together companies and professionals and will include exhibitions, promotion, training, gastronomy, tastings, professional meetings and business opportunities. The organisers envisage the event as a meeting point for sectors linked to wine and the sea, both from Huelva and other territories.

“We want VIMAR to continue growing outwards from Huelva,” Ana Martínez summarises. The director maintains that the fair should also serve as a gateway to a region offering opportunities for companies and professionals.

In this journey, Portugal occupies a prominent place. For VIMAR, the neighbouring country is a natural partner with which to continue building ties and working so that the relationships established at events such as FATACIL and the Feira da Dieta Mediterrânica de Tavira can lead to projects and opportunities for cooperation.

More information about the fair is available on the official VIMAR website{:rel="nofollow"}.