Portuguese wine exports grew by 2.4 % in 2013, setting a new national record of 724 million of
euros, according to the president of the Instituto
da Vinha e do Vinho in the inaugural conference of Uva d’Ouro.
This growth has encouraged domestic wine producers and distributors to
participate in international events in order to establish a connection with
potential importers and as a way to boost the appreciation of "Made in Portugal” wines. “Despite
the fall in domestic consumption, it did not affect exports and the image of
Portuguese wine out there", explained the president of the IVV, Frederico
Falcão.
Barriers to export
Excluding the usual cultural barriers, the president
of IVV explained that exporting
requires an investment of time and capital. "You have to know the market,
establish trusts, measure the result of actions, all of this could take
years," recalls Frederick Falcão.
Manuela Cabral, president of the Douro and Porto Wine Institute emphasizes
the cultural barriers and the different forms of closing a deal in, for
example, eastern markets. There is a need to study these cultures and to find a
way to make them more receptive to western products. "These different
realities can be beneficial because when a wine is well known recognized in a
certain country could pave the way for other portuguese wine" claims the president “and could even pave the
way for other portuguese products and wine tourism too".
Relevant domestic
consumption
The domestic
consumption of wine fell by 5 % in Portugal
especially with the decreasing sales in the horeca channel and the retail
trade. "The portuguese consumer
is on a basic state" said the chairman, Manuela Cabral, “but it has
potential to grow."
Producers and distributors have not lost sight
of trends in the domestic consumption. Despite being a sector hit by the
economic crisis, about 77 % of wine sales take place in supermarkets and 33 %
of retail sales are done in the format of bag in box. The president of the Douro
and Port Wine Institute also noted that portuguese
consumers are sensitive to consumer promotional activities.
Strengthening the
Portugal brand
Sonae, together with various media organs, organized
the Uva d’ouro iniciative that aims
to meet the existing need of the customer to easily identify award winning wines on the shelves of supermarkets.
The experience had a positive return for Sonae which saw sales increase once
the awarded wines were easily
identifiable.
"Wine’s
category is one of the most important for a chain of hypermarkets because it’s one that creates very strong emotional
bonds with customers," reinforce João Paulo, Marketing Director of Sonae.
“We already know that the portuguese
wine has great quality and we appreciate it” he adds further, “the creation
of strong brands, as we are doing, has an important part in improving the brand 'Portugal', out there".
