The UK is the market highlighted this week in ViniPortugal's external promotion strategy. Strengthening the historical relations between the two countries and positioning the quality of Portuguese Wines closed to professionals in the sector and consumers are the objectives to be achieved Wines of Portugal Annual Wine Tasting in London, on the 27th of February, and the Decanter Spain & Portugal Fine Wine Encounter, on the 29th of February. This year, the event will be held in Brick Lane, at the Boiler House, bringing together 72 Portuguese producers, coming from several wine regions, including Azores and Madeira, with news and new harvests to present to retailers responsible for purchasing from major distribution and sommeliers. The wine tasting aims to showcase the diversity and quality of Portuguese Wines through four thematic tables - “Master of Blends” (affirming Portugal as a country that dominates the art of blending various grape varieties); “Organic Wines” (production capacity for organic wines in line with the global trend for organic wines); “Atlantic Influence” (contribution of the Atlantic influence in Portuguese Wines); “Whites to Excite” (In addition to reds, Portugal is also a country with excellent quality white wines). The program for professionals is complete with the completion of two masterclasses, guided by Sarah Ahmed, the greatest specialist and connoisseur of Portuguese Wines in the United Kingdom, and Piotr Pietras MS, distinguished in 2017 as “The Best Young Sommelier in the World”. After the program for professionals, the Wines of Portugal Annual Wine Tasting in London will provide a wine tasting for more than 400 consumers, which will be moderated by the group “Three Wine Men”, formed by the English journalists Oz Clarke OBE and Olly Smith, who will invite producers to dialogue, share experiences and knowledge about Portuguese wines with British consumers, in an informal and relaxed environment. Two days after this event, on 29th of February, ViniPortugal brings together 36 Portuguese winemakers in the “Decanter Spain & Portugal Fine Wine Encounter”, an event targeted to final consumers. More than 1,000 participants are expected to attend, including readers of the prestigious Decanter magazine. Portugal will organize a wine tasting commented by the only Portuguese-speaking Master of Wine, Dirceu Vianna Jr MW. The United Kingdom is the 3rd Portuguese wine market by value and is a priority market for the “Wines of Portugal” brand. In 2019, this market represented 77.7 million euros in exports, growing 3% in value compared to the previous year. In 2019, Portuguese wine exports reached 820 million euros, a new historic maximum, which represents an increase of 2.5% over the previous year. France, United States, United Kingdom, Brazil and Germany form the top-5 of the Portuguese wine destination markets. In global terms, Portugal ranks 9th in the top-10 of the world's largest wine exporters. In this ranking, led by France, Portugal is positioned, in value, behind New Zealand and ahead of the United Kingdom. In volume, Portugal occupies the same position, being behind the United States, but surpasses Argentina.