Opportunities in the UK

Alentejo’s UK potential

BY JAMES LAWRENCE

How can Alentejo increase its renown in a vastly competitive market like the UK? The region’s strategy has been to seduce the trade with original flavours, a passion for sustainability, and its natural verve. The vineyard, located south east of Lisbon, is a Mediterranean paradise filled with indigenous grape varieties, beautiful scenery and a burgeoning tourism sector. It’s an attractive proposition for buyers looking to excite clients in the off and on-trades. “We wanted to expand our

Portuguese range and for me Alentejo was the first place to look,” says Steve Daniel, head of buying at

Hallgarten & Novum Wines.

“I personally see the consumer moving away from

New World as an immediate fall-back position. It is making less and less sense to ship wines halfway across the world when you have very interesting good value wines from distinctive local grapes on your doorstep – Alentejo excels at this.”

Ben Knollys, MD at Hatch Mansfield, is another fervent supporter of Alentejo wines. “Portugal has been a country to watch for a while, and Esporão, with its heartland in Alentejo, had certainly stood out to us as an ideal partner, so when the opportunity to represent these fantastic wines presented itself, we grabbed it with both hands,” he says. “We are very excited to represent not only one of the top growing countries but also one of the most dynamic sub-regions, having been steadily increasing for the past three years in the UK.”

Of course, distributors and importers have their choice of brands and regions that wish to increase their UK market share. Yet many in the trade believe that Alentejo’s wineries are blessed with an inherent advantage, not least in terms of the diversity of styles they offer. “For us, the region showcases complexity, a variety of styles and flavours but at a mix of price points,” says Knollys. “This, combined with a modern style of winemaking and an environmentally-friendly philosophy, makes it a very attractive offer for the

UK consumer,”

The dynamism sweeping across Alentejo is another point of consensus among the trade – buyers regard the region as one of Europe’s most exciting and innovative.

“I have noticed that the differences between north Alentejo and south Alentejo wines are increasing rapidly,” says Marta Mateus, founder of Marta Vine.

“The change in climate is very noticeable; north Alentejo has a higher altitude; different geology and it is making wines of great freshness and complexity. Meanwhile, central and southern Alentejo benefit from the cooling influence of Alqueva [the large reservoir created by a big damming project].” Mateus also observes that she has seen more investment in the region, particularly in the fields of sustainability and tourism. “There has been a significant rise in day trips from the Algarve to Alentejo wineries. Herdade dos Grous receives many guests on a daily basis – it is just over an hour away from many of the top resorts. This leads to a plethora of direct enquiries every summer that we pass on to one of our customers to fulfil,” she adds.

Steve Daniel agrees: “Since I first started to engage with the region, I have noticed winemakers becoming more confident. I have also seen more styles emerging from the region. Whether this is more fresher, mineral wines appearing from cooler regions such as Vidigueira or experimenting with different fermentation vessels such as talhas or amphora.”

QUALITY EVOLUTION Leading importer Raymond Reynolds also identifies the rise of small and medium-sized wineries as an important part of Alentejo’s quality evolution. In addition, he is delighted with the resurgence of the Vinho de Talha tradition. “All this has introduced a greater variety of styles in the Alentejo’s wines which pushes the quality level up – the best part,” says Reynolds.

“What the Alentejo needs to do now is to shift the marketing narrative to highlighting the sub-regions/ terroirs more. This will encourage wineries to explore further their individual terroirs and keep the upward trend to quality and diversity.”

Ultimately, the best metric for evaluating Alentejo’s success in the market is the level of enthusiasm witnessed from the trade and, of course, wine lovers. In this regard, there is a tangible sense of optimism surrounding the region, with buyers continuing to expand their portfolios. “I am very pleased with Alentejo’s UK sales performance – so much so that I decided to add two new wineries to my range,” enthuses Marta Mateus.

“We introduced Casa Clara and Mingorra into the UK in early May and are already reordering from both producers. It seems people trust these wines more every year and are genuinely excited when new ones are introduced to the UK market. In 12 years I have never known wines sell as freely as my two new brands have this year.” “What the Alentejo needs to do now is to shift the marketing narrative to highlighting the sub-regions/terroirs more. This will encourage wineries to explore further their individual terroirs and keep the upward trend to quality and diversity”

IN EACH WINE, ONE ALENTEJO

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