FINE WINES BOARD

Strategy and objectives

To increase substantially the sales of premium wines in pre-defined target export markets was one of the recommendations in Michael Porter’s Monitor Group report on Portuguese winegrowing, commissioned by ViniPortugal. One of the suggestions carried out was the forming of a Fine Wines Board (FWB). The FWB is a group of independent experts on the trends and tastes within key markets (the UK, US and Germany), and its purpose is to gauge how well wines from Portuguese producers might do in the markets they are keen to sell in.

This panel of independent experts will meet each year to review wines submitted by producers, evaluating their intrinsic quality, labelling and packaging in relation to target markets. Those wines meeting the required standards will receive a Seal of Merit (“Distinção de Mérito”) to be used as point of sale material with importers and distributors in export markets. Given the prestige attached to a Fine Wines Board award, ViniPortugal will publicise the fact to importers, distribution groups, wine writers and magazines.

Recipients of FWB awards fall within the Premium and Super-Premium price range of wines. Each year producers are given a time limit to submit three bottles of each wine (two for blind tastings and one to judge labelling and packing) in one or more of the following categories: whites, reds, rosés, sparkling and fortified wines. Contestants are limited to one wine per category and per market. Seals of Merit apply exclusively to the wine submitted for evaluation that year, not to other wines or other vintages from the same producer. Use of this distinction for any other wine will be denounced as fraudulent.

Candidate wines must have been previously certified by a Regional Wine Commission. The criteria for rating by FWB jury does not include factors such as grape variety or geographical origin of the grapes. Judgement is passed purely on the quality of the wine being tasted.

The 2007 contest:

The first closed-session of tastings by the Fine Wines Board took place in Lisbon on February 26 to 28, 2007.

The independent panel rated hundreds of wines submitted by some 80 producers, eventually awarding 27 winners of Seals of Merit for wines aimed at the three markets: eight awards for wines destined for the UK (three whites and five reds); eight for the US (three sparkling, one white and four reds); eleven for Germany (two whites, one rosé and eight reds).

For a complete list of the winning wines click here.

The criteria for admission to the 2007 FWB was based on wines according to price brackets (relative to respective markets) not exceeding:

Premium wines: up to £4.99 (UK), $9.99 (USA) and €7.99 (Germany). Super-Premium wines: from £5.00 to £9.99 (UK), $10.00 to $15.99 (USA), and €8.00 to €12.99 (Germany).

The FWB 2007 panel of experts:

United Kingdom: Charles Metcalfe and Robert Joseph (wine writers), Christopher Malone (Monitor Company) and Rui Falcão (editor at Blue Wine )

USA : Joshua Greene (editor/publisher of Wine & Spirits), Gerry Piserchia (Fedway Wine & Spirits Wholesaler) and João Paulo Martins (wine writer)

Germany: Hendrik Thoma (sommellier), Kristine Baeder (sommelier and wine magazine editor) and Luís Ramos Lopes (editor of Portuguese Wines/Revista de Vinhos)

Photos: Pedro Moreira

Robert Joseph & Charles Metcalfe

Joshua Greene

Hendrik Thoma & Kristine Baeder

Wine evaluation