Vinho Verde has doubled its exports to Russia despite the cancellation of promotional actions

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, compared to 625 liters and 000 million euros in 1,3, before the war. .

Overall, exports until 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 brought in 72,2 million euros to the region.

In an interview with Lusa, the president of CVRVV since the end of July, Dora Simões, said that "although the Vinho Verde Commission has canceled promotional activities in the Russian market, economic agents in the region and respective business partners will be always free to pursue his activity.

Regarding exports to Russia, Dora Simões said that when the process "was blocked, stopped, there was in fact a moment when economic agents had absolutely no options" in terms of 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 exports of vinho verde to Russia, but the pace of exports picked up for the rest of the year.

According to the official, Russia was “a booming market”, and it is possible that “this expansion took place at a time when business was still going strong”.

In April, still under the mandate of Manuel Pinheiro, the Vinho Verde Commission announced the cancellation of promotional actions in Russia, redirecting exports to other markets, such as Mexico.

Until November, the Vinho Verde region also recorded a drop in exports to Germany, minus 1,6 million liters and 2,8 million euros.

Dora Simões acknowledged that comparing 2022 to 2021 is "difficult", because it is "analysing a period marked by the effects of a war in Europe".

“We have seen, in recent months, great difficulties in maintaining shipments, either due to the shortage of components or due to transport difficulties, which, combined with the general contraction in consumption, including in Germany , is natural in times of economic crisis,” he added.

The official said she expects "the situation in Germany to recover and exports to 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 thousand) but increased in value by 1,5 million, and for the Great Britain, which increased by 170 thousand liters and 1 million euros.

Increases were also recorded in Canada (13 litres, 000 euros), Spain (570 litres, 000 euros), Eswatini (375 litres, 000 euros) and Poland (893 litres, 000 264 euro).

In 2023, CVRVV will invest in promotional actions in the United Kingdom, Poland and South Korea, Dora Simões pointing out that in the British and Korean cases, the idea is "to enter from the top, with the most high, with top quality products. value, more sophisticated”.

South Korea is "an opportunity market" potentially similar to the Japanese market, where sales of vinho verde "are perhaps the highest value", being a "very consistent market, which 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 know” the product.

I // MSP