Vilamoura, Faro, Portugal, Oct. 14, 2024 (Lusa) - Around 70% of Portugal's Algarve region wine production is sold and consumed in the region, taking advantage of the presence of foreign tourists and residents willing to pay a higher price, a source from the Algarve Wine Commission said today.
The entity that certifies, controls and promotes Algarve wines is organising the 1st edition of the Algarve Wine Session today at a hotel in Vilamoura, in the district of Loulé, Faro, 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.
According to Sara Silva, production has grown by 5% per year in recent years and the number of certified producers has doubled in the last 10 years.
Of the 1,400 hectares, "800 are for the production of certified wine, with the appellation of origin being Lagos, Lagoa, Portimão and Tavira or the geographical indication Algarve", said the president of the CVA, adding that 90% of the wine produced has the geographical indication Algarve.
Sara Silva said that 70% of the wine produced in the Algarve is marketed in the region, through the Horeca channel (Hotels, Restaurants, Cafeterias 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, with around 10% of production.
"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.
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