Night at the Macau Wine Museum

By the time that many museums are closing, the Macau Wine Museum is keeping its doors open for events such as cocktails, dinners and wine tasting, offering participants a genuine trip through the world of wine. Events taking place at the Wine Museum, organized by the Macau Government Tourist Office, the entity overseeing the museum, or by private initiatives, follow a special tradition. During these occasions, wine takes the center stage. Different kinds of wines are presented for tasting, mainly Portuguese, and, depending on the occasion, the host will take the opportunity to introduce the wines and the museum. “The Wine Museum is a one-of-its-kind place, which has a lot to do with Macau’s multiculturalism”, points out Wine Museum curator, José Braga Gonçalves. In a city with more than 400 years of cultural exchanges, Portuguese wines are the main focus of the Wine Museum, opened in 1995. Wines from the “Country of Grapes”, the Chinese name for Portugal, can be found in any of Macau’s restaurant menus, and are present in official banquets, consumed with Macanese, Portuguese or Cantonese food. A special moment of these nights at the Wine Museum is when wine tasting events take place, an occasion whereby the curator shares some of his knowledge and more of his great passion with the participants. “During the wine tasting, sometimes people ask me really funny questions, like for example, if I became drunk or if I drink a lot of wine”, recounts Braga Gonçalves, who has grown up in a land where wine was produced. Wine tasting is, in fact, part of the Wine Museum’s visiting ritual. At the end of the museum tour, each visitor is invited to choose a wine for tasting, then take a seat and relax.