Madeira Wine Festival

Every September, Funchal and Câmara de Lobos host the Madeira Wine Festival, in which the locals of Madeira celebrate the harvest of their world-famous wine. The festival starts at Câmara de Lobos, with a 'live harvest' show, where the locals adopt traditional harvest methods. The grapes are collected and sqaushed by foot in front of the Festival's crowd. The celebrations of the Wine Festival also take place in Funchal, where light and sounds shows are hosted.

The Madeira Wine Festival provides great entertainment and gives a fantastic opportunity to sample some of the locally produced wine. For more information visit the Madeira Islands Official Tourism website.

Madeira is only a short flight from the UK and is a great holiday destination; you can choose from holidays on the black sand beaches, in the mountains or in the city. The island has warm, comfortable summers and mild winters, which make Madeira a perfect year-round destination.

Madeira is a beautiful island with stunning scenery; it has been described as a 'floating garden'. The island blooms with with colourful masses of orchids, bougainvillea, frangipani, wisteria and geraniums. Fruit and herbs grow in profusion on the hillsides and in ravines, and the mountain slopes are terraced with orchards and vineyards. The most enjoyable way to explore the island is to follow the course of the levadas (irrigation channels). Madeira's stunning scenery is compimented by the island's rich cultural and historical heritage. Funchal is home to the majority of Madeira's built heritage, there are plenty of historical monuments, squares and streets to explore.

Make sure you make time to visit the Funchal Botanical Garden, the volcanic caves, the Orchid Garden, Madeira Story Centre and Cabo Girão (one of the world's highest ocean cliffs). Madeira is also great for golf, sailing, snorkelling and scuba diving.

For more information visit the Madeira Islands Tourism website.