Wines of Portugal Unveils 50 Great Portuguese Wines for 2014

NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Wines of Portugal today announces this year's 50 Great Portuguese Wines, an impressive collection chosen by esteemed US wine writer and personality, Joshua Greene. 

Joshua Greene has been Editor and Publisher of Wine & Spirits Magazine since 1986, and writes feature stories and commentary for each issue.  Over the years, Greene has traveled extensively in Portugal and, in 2009, was awarded Portugal's Order of Merit for his writing on the country's wines. In addition to covering Portugal for Wine & Spirits, Greene also serves as the critic for regions including Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Australia.

"Portugal's great wines stand apart from all the wines I taste from other regions," Greene comments. "They are not copies of international styles. In fact, they offer a world of styles all their own, based on a set of indigenous varieties capable of producing world-class wines."

"These vines have evolved to perform exceptionally well in Portugal's diverse climates and in the soils that lend the top wine districts their greatest distinctions, whether the schist of the Douro Valley, the granite of Dão or the limestone of Bairrada. I'm excited to show some remarkable examples among this year's 50 Great Wines of Portugal."

At a luncheon celebrating Greene's selection of the 50 Great Wines, Wines of Portugal also will present awards to this year's top retailer, restaurant and importer for their efforts in supporting the sales of Portuguese wines:

• Importer of the Year – Wine in Motion (NJ)
• Restaurant(s) of the Year – Hearth Restaurant (NYC) and Pier 95 (NY)
• Independent Retailer of the Year – Astor Wine & Spirits (NYC)
• Chain Retailer of the Year – Binny's Beverage Depot

"Over the last year, we've seen an over 15% increase in growth by value of Portuguese wines in our export markets," says Nuno Vale of Wines of Portugal.  "This incredible feat exhibits a great synergy between the quality of Portuguese wines and the growing excitement and support from our business partners in the United States."

A longstanding program in the UK, this is only the second year that the 50 Great Portuguese Wines list has been created for the US market. The full list of the 50 Great Portuguese Wines can be found at:  http://www.winesofportugal.com/us/news-and-events/news/50-great-revealed.

Vale adds: "Bringing this list to the United States was an important decision not only for celebrating the wineries that have a US presence, but to also recognize key partners who have aided in promoting Portuguese wines in the US market."

As a part of the announcement and presentation of the 50 Great Portuguese Wines and awards ceremony, a trade tasting featuring the selected wines will take place today at the New York Public Library.  The tasting will open to the public in the evening, for an exciting celebration of Portuguese wine, food and culture. 

About Wines of Portugal

The 2010 launch of the Vinhos de Portugal (Wines of Portugal) marketing drive is the result of a collaborative exercise by the whole of the Portuguese wine industry and its representatives, a new, dynamic take on wine promotion.  Up on the banner of this united 'Portuguese brand' is a new logo.  The eye-catching 'P' for Portugal symbolizes the very essence of Portugal's contemporary wines:  a bright, modern image filled with individual, colorful, creative icons plucked from vineyard, cellar and the wine-drinking moment.  Across Portugal's immense variety or terroirs, using the plethora of unique grape varieties and blends this small but diverse country has to offer, grape-growers and winemakers take a creative, skilled, technical yet also artistic approach.  The wines we make are unique and distinctive.  Difference is what Portuguese wines are all about!  Different terroirs and climatic conditions, different grapes and ultimately, wines of different character and flavors.  The more you get to know them, the more those differences fascinate and draw you in – until finally it's love, pure and simple.

Wines of Portugal brand is managed by ViniPortugal, a trade association whose aim is to set Portugal as the next hot spot in the international wine scene.  Wines of Portugal provides strategic support to the Portuguese wine sector, bringing together organizations representing trade (ANCEVE and ACIBEV), production (FENAVI and FEVIPOR), cooperative wineries (FENADEGAS), distillers (AND), farmers (CAP), demarcated regions (ANDOVI) and government bodies (IVV).

About Full Circle Wine Solutions

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Full Circle Wine Solutions is a global wine and spirits education firm that grows brand loyalty and client profits through tailored wine programs and effective hospitality training. Using a vast and established network of sommelier educators, the company hosts high quality and consistent wine tasting experiences across multiple locations around the world. Full Circle Wine Solutions also provides an online resource, WineCouch.com, for trade and consumers who have passion for wine and seek to grow their knowledge about wine.

For more information contact: Chandni Patel, [email protected] , 615-828-4982

SOURCE Wines of Portugal