The production of certified wines in the Algarve surpassed the records of the last two decades, with two million liters, consolidating the positive dynamics of the sector in the region, said this Wednesday the president of the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA).
Sara Silva was at the Agriculture and Fisheries Commission of the Assembly of the Republic this Wednesday for a hearing, together with those responsible for the other five wine commissions in the country, within the scope of the sector’s Working Group group, and at the end she spoke to the Lusa agency about the results of the last harvest and the main topics covered.
The president of the CVA classified the 2024-2025 campaign as “very positive”, “in terms of quality and also quantity”, after producers had a “record year, in relation to the last 20 years of campaigns”, which added “ two million liters”.
This number is “quite significant” of the evolution that the production of Geographical Indication of the Algarve and Denomination of Origin Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa and Tavira has had in recent years in the region, he highlighted.
“We have around 60 economic agents and we effectively closed this harvest with this number, with a lot of evolution in the area of white and rosé wines, which has gradually increased, in line with what our consumers are looking for, especially those who are in and who visit the Algarve” , he stated.
The top manager noted that most wine consumption in the Algarve is done during the spring and summer periods and there is a great demand for products such as white and rosé, although sparkling wines have also “gradually grown. ”, which the Algarve Commission has certified since 2020.
“And increasingly our indigenous grape variety, Negra Mole, is having greater expression in productions”, he praised, stressing that the Algarve does not experience difficulties in placing its production, mainly sold in the region, through the Horeca channel (Hospitality, Restaurants and Cafeterias/Commerce).
Sara Silva also highlighted the “great impact” of wine tourism for the production of certified Algarve wines, which sells “value-added” products on farms where “experiences” are available to visitors within the scope of wine production.
“Our data indicates that around 70% is sold in the region, the other part at the national market level and, fluctuating a little each year, between 12% and a maximum of 15% for some type of export”, he quantified.
The person responsible clarified that exports “are concentrated in just a few producers”, because the majority “sell everything in their own region”.
Certified producers in the Algarve thus had a “good productive year”, which is also the result of “new vineyard areas” that have been enabled in recent years and new producers, which went from 30 in 2017 to the 61 that exist currently, he noted.
Sara Silva highlighted the dynamics of the sector in the Algarve, which stands out more for quality and authenticity than for quantity and was one of the few in the country that had “a significant increase, in the order of 20%”, while others struggle with excess wine in ‘stock’ or production shortfalls.
Regarding her hearing this Wednesday in parliament, Sara Silva sensitized deputies to “greater control” of wines from other areas of the country and imported wines, because the excess stocks seen in other regions, “which are not yet a reality in the Algarve”, can affect Algarve production in an “indirect way”.
“If the market has a lot of wine, and the Algarve is a gateway for several wines, the most economic part can also decline, because wines from other regions are sold at much lower prices than ours, we also have a greater competition and greater difficulty in selling our wines due to this indirect issue”, he concluded.
Also read:
