Magazine

The Spanish sparkling wine appellation has experienced incremental growth over the past few years, fuelled by its dynamic marketing strategies and competitive pricing, particularly in export markets.

Last February, over 150 Portuguese exhibitors took part in the fifth Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, underscoring just how significant Portugal has become in the international wine arena. Long focused on their domestic market, the country’s wine producers have garnered global acclaim and exports have risen accordingly. Frederico Falcão, chairman of Wines of Portugal, along with representatives from three Portuguese companies explain how this small wine revolution came about.

We interviewed the chairman of Wines of Portugal, Frederico Falcáo, to gain a better understanding of the country's wine scene and the major milestones in its recent development.

Sitting high on its hillside, Sancerre keeps a watchful eye over the surrounding countryside with the quiet fortitude shared by the top appellations. This iconic wine region in the Centre-Loire region, renowned for its Sauvignon varietals, embodies a fascinating dichotomy – the simplicity of an internationally-renowned white wine appellation counterbalanced by an often underestimated tapestry of vineyard sites. In this feature report, we take a deep dive into Sancerre, exploring its quintessential traits, its modern-day challenges and the way in which this storied appellation continues to reinvent itself, fascinating both novices and connoisseurs alike.

In some ways, Sancerre is a condensed version of the French concept of terroir. Its landscape is distinctive with the village clustered around the top of a hillside crowned with flint pebbles that have survived erosion for several thousands of centuries.

Portugal is now very much up there in the big international league. The days when locals drank virtually all of the country’s wines, bar a few thousand hectolitres of Port – a popular tipple with the English and the French – are now long gone.