Portugese wine-makers looking at the Indian market

A9, a group of nine co-operatives from Portugal, recently announced that it will use Goa as a gateway to bring to India a wide range of Portuguese wines.

Portugal offers some high quality wines, such as Vinho Verdes, Port Wines and Moscatela. “The market for wines in India is just opening up, and we think this is the right time to come here,” said Jaime Quendera, Manager of Cooperativa Agricola de Santo Isidro de Pegoes (A9).

He added that currently China and India are ‘very negligible markets’ but may grow to be the biggest consumers in 10 years.

The group represented 27 associated wineries, 15,200 wine producers, all of which corresponded to around 20 per cent of the total Portuguese wine production.

The group has over 200 brands, with an annual average turnover of €90 million, he said.

The annual production of wines is Portugal is estimated at 110 million litres and exports constitute about 25 per cent of the total volumes.

Quendera said the high tax on wines in India was disappointing, and hoped the States will reduce the levies as wines needed to be promoted as a ‘healthy drink.’