The 2017/2018 wine harvest is expected to be a great one for the Algarve. Specialists are forecasting that “more and better wine” will be produced in the region compared to recent years.
Portugal’s Institute of Vines and Wine (IVV) expects a 15% increase in the amount of wine produced, while the Algarve’s Wine Commission (CVA) is even more optimistic and predicts a 20% rise.
This is due mostly to the region’s “favourable weather conditions”, namely a reasonably dry winter and spring with “some relative humidity” which helped the development of vines, said the IVV.
In total, the Algarve is expected to produce 1.2 million litres of “high-quality wine”.
According to CVA president Carlos Gracias, the focus in the Algarve is on “quality and not quantity”.
He also told Correio da Manhã tabloid that “new producers and wines” have been appearing in the region, and many of them are earning awards and praise.
The variety of wines is also on the rise.
While a few years ago the vast majority of Algarve wines were red, now around 40% of them are white or rosé, which are “popular among tourists”.
