Most wine produced in Algarve never leaves the region
Around 70% of wines produced in the Algarve are sold and consumed in the region, taking advantage of its foreign tourists and residents who are willing to pay a higher price, a source from the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA) told Lusa news agency.
The entity that certifies, controls and promotes Algarve wines organised the first edition of the Algarve Wine Session on Monday at a hotel in Vilamoura, with 32 producers to promote the production of wines from the southernmost region of the country.
“This is an exclusive event for professionals (…), with a view to publicising what the producers have in production and being able to have greater contact (with distributors),” the president of the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA), Sara Silva, told Lusa.
The region has 55 certified producers who, in an area of 1,400 hectares, produce around 1.7 million litres of wine, according to figures from the Algarve Wine Commission.
CVA president Sara Silva says production has grown by 5% per year in recent years and the number of certified producers has doubled in the last 10 years.
Out of the 1,400 hectares, 800 are for the production of certified wine, with the designation of origin being Lagos, Lagoa, Portimão, and Tavira, or the Algarve geographical indication,” said the president of the CVA, adding that 90% of the wine produced has the Algarve geographical indication.
Sara Silva said that 70% of the wine produced in the Algarve is marketed in the region, through the Horeca channel (Hotels, Restaurants, Cafés and Catering) and also through wine tourism (trips motivated by wine appreciation).
On the other hand, of the 15% of wine that is exported, most goes to European countries, not least because around 40% of the producers of this product are foreigners who may or may not live in the region.
The North American market (United States and Canada) follows, as does Brazil. Around 10% of production is sold in the rest of Portugal.
“We’re not necessarily present in large supermarkets. Let’s just say that it’s not really the target of our operators, so our presence outside the region is mainly in specialised restaurants and some references, some wine cellars that focus on having wines from various regions,” said Sara Silva.
The head of the Algarve’s wine sector insisted that producers “are committed to quality, and that “the final prices are relatively high compared to other regions, although they are more than fair prices for the quality production that the wines demonstrate”.
“We have this foreign clientele here who are looking for quality and like what is local and authentic,” she concluded.
Source: LUSA
