“If we look at the performance in market share, it is the same, at 1 percent. But in terms of performance, Portuguese wines have exceeded expectations in terms of quality,” said importer Raymond Reynolds, who has been working with Portuguese wines for several decades.


In the last five years, sales of Portuguese wines by Raymond Reynolds, especially to small retailers and restaurants, have increased by about 30 percent, he said, without specifying a value, while Paul Shinnie, purchasing manager at Alliance Wine, estimates that there was a 1,000 percent increase to half a million pounds (€586 million), in the same period.


“There is an enthusiasm for Portuguese wine that has to do with its history and genuineness,” said Shinnie, whose company sells to major retailers, restaurants and hotels.


According to ViniPortugal, the United Kingdom was the third market in 2019 in value, having grown 3 percent compared to the previous year, to €77.7 million in exports to the British market.


In total, Portugal exported wine worth €820 million last year, 2.5 percent more than in 2018. ViniPortugal aims to reach €1 billion in 2022.
This year, the event was attended by 72 producers from several Portuguese wine regions, including Azores and Madeira, and included sessions with experts Sarah Ahmed, Piotr Petras, Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin and Olly Smith.