Lisbon, Sept. 4, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Government on Friday announced support of around €12 million for winegrowers in the River Douro region who are unable to sell their produce this season.
«We have also taken a measure to support winegrowers in the Douro region – and I will explain shortly why specifically the Douro – which consists of support totalling around €12 million for those who, this season, are unable to sell their grapes,» said the Cabinet office minister, António Leitão Amaro.
At the press conference following today's Cabinet meeting, the minister said that this is a «one-off solution for this year, which differs from the solutions of previous years, which were support measures for distillation».
«This is support for unsold produce, with a maximum amount set at €12 million, but the decision has already been taken that, in future, the solution for the Douro region must be a structural one, based on the creation of a permanent fund designed to help manage these market fluctuations and difficulties,» he added.
As for the reason behind this specific support for the region, Leitão Amaro explained that «the Douro has unique characteristics regarding the landscape in which production takes place, which make it much more difficult to switch to another crop».
«And so, the Douro region and its producers face particular difficulties, and this is a measure that differs from previous years; whilst it is of significant value and will be different from the long-term support provided by the new fund, it is important for supporting this sector and this region within the sector,» he emphasised.
After production in the Douro fell last year to 178,000 barrels of wine (550 litres each), problems with selling the grapes have worsened again this year.
Some winegrowers complain of a lack of buyers, others that they are only guaranteed a sale for the ‘benefício' grapes – that is, the quantity of must each producer can allocate to Port wine production – and, in general, they also complain about the low price they are paid for their grapes.
For this harvest, the Interprofessional Council of the Douro and Port Wine Institute (IVDP) unanimously approved a quota of 76,000 barrels, 1,000 more than last year; this represents a commitment made by the parties (retailers and producers), but does not mean that companies are obliged to sell the grapes.
On the other hand, operators are warning of full stock levels and falling wine sales.
On Wednesday, grapes were dumped in the street outside the headquarters of the Douro and Port Wine Institute in Peso da Régua (Vila Real), in a symbolic protest intended to draw attention to the crisis affecting small and medium-sized producers in the Douro region.
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