Page 27 - Code de Vino, #17/23, a/w 2018
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26   Personalia                                                                        Code de Vino #17               Code de Vino #17                                       Jorge Monteiro, Head of the ViniPortugal association  27









































                                                                                                                              ViniPortugal is a Portuguese wine industry interprofessional   — Mr. Monteiro, tell us a little about your
                                                                                                                                                                                           Association. What does it do, what are its goals
                                                                                                                              association founded in 1997 as a private non-profit
                                                                                                                                                                                           in Portugal? Is it state run
                                                                                                                              organization. ViniPortugal unites leading domestic trade     or an NGO?
                                                                                                                              and production associations and professional organizations,
                                                                                                                              cooperative wineries, distillers, farmers, and Portuguese    — We are a private company founded in 1996.
                                                                                                                                                                                           We prefer the term "interprofessional." We unite
                                                                                                                              wine region councils with an aim to promote the image
                                                                                                                                                                                           producers, farmers, cooperatives, regional councils
                                                                                                                              of Portugal as the wine producing par excellence             and distributors, and act as mediators among them
                                                                                                                              by endorsing the Wines of Portugal brand.                    all; we are very well-known and acknowledged
                                                                                                                                                                                           in this area.
        Jorge Monteiro                                                                                                        Wines of Portugal are currently available in 4 continents    We are a private company that serves public
                                                                                                                              and 11 strategic markets thanks to ViniPortugal.
                                                                                                                                                                                           interests. Accordingly, our main goal is to distribute
                                                                                                                                                                                           and support Portuguese wines, and present Portugal
                                                                                                                              With annual investments of around EUR 7 million,
                                                                                                                              ViniPortugal carries out over 100 annual Portuguese wine     globally as an excellent producer of good, truly
                                                                                                                                                                                           interesting wines.
                                                                                                                              promotional actions involving around 350 national wine
        Head of the ViniPortugal association:                                                                                 producers. The strategic aim of the organization
                                                                                                                              is to present Wines of Portugal as a first-rate collective   — Are you mostly involved in marketing, or are
                                                                                                                                                                                           you also engaged in scientific research and
        "We, the Portuguese,                                                                                                  national brand and become a top-ten global wine exporter     lobbying regarding wine regulations and laws?
        are major traditionalists"                                                                                            in the next decade.                                          — We promote the product on the global market,
                                                                                                                                                                                           which is the most important thing we can do. But one
                                                                                                                              In April 2018, during the Portuguese Wine Salon in           way or another, we are also certainly involved in wine
                                                                                                                              Moscow, we sat down with Association President Mr. Jorge     tourism because we interact with these people and
        Interview by Vasily Prytkov                                                                                           Monteiro to discuss Portuguese winemaking development        give recommendations on how the market should
                                                                                                                                                                                           be promoted and developed. Of course, we also give
                                                                                                                              trends, the character of Portuguese winemaking in general,
                                                                                                                                                                                           recommendations to manufacturers on the choice
                                                                                                                              and the Portuguese view on the Russian market.               of certain autochthonous varieties.
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