No, it’s nothing to do with the Prince song, and it’s not the answer to “What’s purple and conquered the world.” It’s the annual ‘Batalla del Vino’ or Wine Battle in Spain’s Rioja region, and yesterday was this year’s date.
Participants in their thousands (over 9,000 actually) set off on a 6 km morning hike, clad in white with red neckerchiefs from the town of Haro, the ‘Capital of Rioja Wine.’ You’ll notice there’s no white clothing in the image above; that’s because after a mass at a nearby church, everyone sprays and doses everyone in 130,000 liters of red wine, delivered by tank trucks.
The festial, which was declared a “Festival of National Tourist Interest” (you bet!) in 2011, has its origins over 300 years ago in a dispute with the nearby town of Miranda de Ebro over the ownership of land in the area where the celebration is held.
Oh, and the answer to the riddle is: Alexander the Grape.
Image: Por BigSus/Wikimedia Commons
