Port wines are going to be promoted this year and next in the USA, Canada and China as part of a project launched by AEVP, the association of Port wine companies.
Representing a €2 million investment (nearly half of which is covered by community funding), the project will see AEVP holding eight wine showcasing events in the three countries and taking part in China’s Vinexpo 2016 wine fair.
The association says the three markets are “very important for Port wines” as they are especially fond of the “Vintage and LBV” varieties.
While the USA and Canada are both already among top Port wine buyers, placed 6th and 9th overall, China is an “emerging market” that could become a massive importer of the wines, says AEVP.
Apart from Vinexpo, Port wine companies will also be holding three showcasing events in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai.
Another five will be held in the USA and Canada, with the first two planned for October in Toronto and Montreal.
Entitled ‘Port and Douro Wines, a Taste of Origin’, the project is supported by the Compete 2020 programme, which aims to help small- and medium-sized companies go international.
AEVP was created in 1975 and is based in Vila Nova de Gaia.
It includes 16 companies that represent 90% of Port wines and 35% of DOP protected Douro wines.
