The Wine Commission of the Vinho Verde Region (CVRVV) canceled promotional actions in Russia in 2022 due to the war, but exports of the product by economic agents in the sector more than doubled in volume and value.
According to CVRVV data, in 2022, until November, 1.2 million liters were exported from the Portuguese northwest region to Russia, for a total of 2.7 million euros, which compares with 625 thousand liters and 1.3 million euros in 2021, before the war.
Overall, exports up to November increased by 6% compared to 2021, reaching 30.1 million liters and 76.8 million euros last year, while in 2021 the 30.5 million liters had contributed 72, 2 million euros to the region.
In an interview with Lusa, the president of the CVRVV since the end of July, Dora Simões, said that “Even though the Vinho Verde Commission has canceled promotional activities in the Russian market, economic agents in the region and their respective business partners will always be free to continue their business.”
Regarding exports to Russia, Dora Simões said that when the process “stalled, stopped, there was a time when economic agents had absolutely no choice” regarding shipments to the country, because “they did not have the means Of transport”. , logistics, to do it”, in the face of several cuts in Western interactions with Moscow.
CVRVV data confirms that in March and April there were no vinho verde exports to Russia, but the export pace resumed during the rest of the year.
According to the official, Russia was “a booming market,” and it is possible that “this expansion occurred at a time when business was still going on.”
In April, still under the mandate of Manuel Pinheiro, the Green Wines Commission announced the cancellation of promotional actions in Russia, redirecting exports to other markets, such as Mexico.
Until November, the Vinho Verde region also registered a decrease in exports to Germany, minus 1.6 million liters and 2.8 million euros.
Dora Simões acknowledged that comparing 2022 with 2021 is “difficult”, since a period marked by the effects of a war in Europe is being “analyzed”.
“We have seen, in recent months, great difficulties in maintaining shipments, either due to the shortage of components or transport difficulties, which, together with the general retraction of consumption, even in Germany, is natural in times of economic crisis,” he added.
The official said that she hopes that “the situation in Germany will recover and that exports will increase again.”
On the other hand, in 2022, until November, there are significant increases in the United States, which even fell in liters (minus 17,000) but increased its value by 1.5 million euros, and in Great Britain, which rose 170,000 liters and 1 million euros.
Increases were also registered in Canada (13 thousand liters, 570 thousand euros), in Spain (375 thousand liters, 893 thousand euros), Eswatini (264 thousand liters, 643 thousand euros) and Poland (385 thousand liters, 600 thousand euros).
In 2023, CVRVV will invest in promotional actions in the United Kingdom, Poland and South Korea, highlighting Dora Simões that in the British and Korean cases the idea is to “enter at the top, with the highest ranges, with higher value products, more sophisticated”.
South Korea is “an opportunity market” potentially similar to Japan, where sales of vinho verde “are perhaps the highest value,” being a “very consistent market that takes a long time to develop.”
Poland, on the other hand, “has a good critical mass, and it is important to start because it is a young market, with wine consumption”, and people “open to discover” the product.
Source: Observadora
