The University of Madeira (UMa) unveiled its proposal to nominate Madeira wine, a beverage with a high alcohol percentage and one of the most recognisable goods from the autonomous territory, as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The proposal centres on the social and cultural customs that have been linked to the wine production and marketing since the 18th century.

The University's Tourism Centre researcher and visiting professor at the UMa School of Technology and Management, António Marques da Silva, clarified, "There are several criteria for inclusion on the list and, in this case, it is related to three components of the cultural heritage linked to Madeira wine”. The initial phase of the application involves being registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Heritage. A preliminary evaluation is presently being done to make sure that the application meets the necessary requirements to be formally submitted.

The project highlights “knowing how to do”, “knowing how to tell” and “knowing how to appreciate”. According to António Marques da Silva, Madeira wine requires "a lot of manual work and a lot of artisanal knowledge," making it distinct from other wines in terms of "know-how". “These components are highly valued in the context of this type of application”, he said, highlighting that, in terms of “knowing how to tell stories”, producers had to create stories to explain to people in a simple way how Madeira wine is made since its production is “extremely complex”. Moreover, the third component – ​​“knowing how to appreciate” – is what marks the internationalisation of the product.