Portugal's reputation in UK market suffering from 'Tesco-isation' claims producer
Portugal’s brand image in the UK has suffered from “Tesco-isation” according to one leading producer.
This is the view of Tony Smith of the 80 hectare Quitnta da Boavista, who said : “We need to raise the price of our wines and sell them at the higher end of the market. Portugal’s brand image in the UK has suffered from Tesco-isation and the image formed about our wines from mass market retail.
“We’re seen as cheap and cheerful by British wine columnists, but there’s a lot more to us and we can’t build a successful high end brand image on that basis.”
Speaking to Drinks Business, he added that for Portugal to be taken seriously as a premium wine producer, it needs to raise the price of its dry red wines. He claimed that communication was “key” in educating consumers about the quality of wine available form Portugal, and to get away from the cheap and cheerful reputation.
Smith’s Boavista Reserva is priced at €50 a bottle, but he believes it’s “cheap in comparison to a Napa Cabernet”. “There’s nothing wrong with being cheap and cheerful but there’s more to these wines. Given the inaccessibility of our terraces and the steepness of our vineyards, the Douro is not an easy place to make wine.
“The vines are low yielding and we use a horse to plough some of our plots, all of this costs money,” said Smith, who has turned his estate around from being predominantly a port producer to focusing on dry Douro reds and whites.
Describing the Douro as “hot and sexy”, he pointed out that he is now producing more table wine than port. “No one should doubt the quality of dry Douro wines. The whites are a very new thing and are getting a lot of recognition,” Smith said. “People are interested in the old vine tradition – no one can take our pedigree away even if we are the new kids on the block."