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PORTUGAL<br />
EVOLUTION<br />
Port of course. But then when we started to show<br />
our wines to the world, and to demonstrate how<br />
different our wines are, because we have different<br />
grape varieties, native grape varieties, different<br />
terroirs, it was a surprise for everyone. And<br />
I think this explains some of the success of our<br />
exports. Also, we came together under the same<br />
logo, Wines of Portugal, and that helps communications<br />
a lot to explain our country and to<br />
create a mass image of Portugal. The third factor<br />
is tourism, which in Portugal increased very fast<br />
over the same period. That helps a lot because<br />
people visit Portugal, try the wines, are surprised<br />
by them and when they go back to their countries,<br />
they drink more Portuguese wines and talk<br />
about Portuguese wines to their friends. We see a<br />
very strong connection between tourism and our<br />
exports to those countries.<br />
TRELLISED VINHO VERDE VINEYARDS PROVIDE SHADE FOR AN AFTERNOON WALK<br />
G & G: How about the style of the wines?<br />
F. F.: I think we’re becoming more international<br />
because if you taste the wines from the 1970s or<br />
1980s in Portugal, they were different. Then when<br />
we started to look outside of our country, and the<br />
young generations who are now in their 40s and<br />
50s started to travel a lot and go to other wine<br />
regions to taste the wines and even work there,<br />
that made producers more open-minded. So they<br />
started to make wines using our own grapes but<br />
in a more international style, making them easier<br />
for consumers to like and understand.<br />
AUTUMN VINEYARDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AT ARRABIDA, SETUBAL, PORTUGAL<br />
G & G: What are the new markets for Portuguese<br />
wines?<br />
F. F.: We export all over the world of course, but<br />
as Wines of Portugal, we promote in 21 markets.<br />
Surprisingly, our main market for exports is<br />
France – it’s our number one market because<br />
of Port – then it’s the United States, UK, Brazil,<br />
Canada, Netherlands, Germany, and many<br />
others. These are the main markets but we export<br />
to almost every country around the world.<br />
G & G: Is domestic consumption still strong?<br />
F. F.: Domestic consumption is very strong. As<br />
Portuguese, we drink a lot of wine, but the very<br />
SPRING 2024 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE<br />
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