The Algarve’s wine production in 2019/2020 is due to reach a five-year high.
According to estimates from the Portuguese Vine and Wine Institute (IVV), production during the 2019/20 period is expected to increase 5% compared to 2018/19.
When taking the average of the last five years into account, the increase is of around 32%.
This translates into a total of 1.8 million litres wine made in the Algarve.
Says IVV, the increase is due to the introduction of new grape varieties in the region.
The institute also said that the region’s wine production thrived despite the discovery of powdery mildew, a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants, and plant-eating leafhoppers, which wine producers were able to control and are confident won’t affect the quality of regional wines.
Meantime, the president of the Algarve Wine Commission Sara Silva has told Correio da Manhã that the region currently has 41 wine producers and that the number has been increasingly steadily over the years.
She also said that while the Algarve used to be a wine region where almost every wine produced was red, there is now a growing number of whites and rosés which are “favourites among foreign visitors”.
More information about the Algarve’s wines can be found online at https://vinhosdoalgarve.pt (available in English and Portuguese).
