Following an accident at a distillery in the small Portuguese town of São Lorenco de Bairro, a river of red wine was seen flowing through the streets there, the New York Post reported.
The incident happened when barrels carrying 600,000 gallons of liquor unexpectedly collapsed.
According to NBC News, Destilaria Levira said the accident happened after two storage tanks burst.
The distillery also noted the significant wine storage was the result of government’s response to a wine surplus in Europe caused by decreasing demand.
2.2 Juta Liter Wine membanjiri jalanan Sao Lorenco de Bairro di Portugal
— TMI Hari ini (@TMIHARINI) September 12, 2023
Wine ini berasal dari kebocoran gudang penyulingan anggur. Dimana jutaan liter Wine sedang menunggu untuk dikemas ke dalam botol-botol Wine.pic.twitter.com/GS5qaqebVY
Destilaria Levira described the oversupply as a crisis, the publication reported.
Soon the incident went viral and the videos posted on social media showed the red liquid running down a steep hill in the little town of So Lorenco de Bairro on Sunday, which has a population of about 2,000 people, according to New York Post.
The leak was so large that the wine that spilled might have filled an Olympic-sized swimming pool, causing an environmental alert.
Officials suddenly leapt into action, attempting to halt the wine before it turned the Certima River into wine.
The Anadia Fire Department shut off the flood and moved it away from the river, where it ran into a nearby field, New York Post reported citing the local media.
According to firefighters, the wine flooded a basement at a residence near the distillery as well.