It used to be that a party wasn't a party without a few distinctively shaped bottles of Mateus Rosé on the table - until Portuguese wine fell out of fashion.

But now the nation's exports are again soaring in popularity with British drinkers, with some retailers reporting a five-fold increase in sales in as many years.

Berkmann Wine Cellars says it is selling 48,000 bottles a year compared with 9,000 five years ago, with Alex Hunt, the firm's purchasing director, describing Portuguese wine-making as 'at its prime'.

Sales at Marks & Spencer have also soared 30 per cent in the past 12 months, with a 27 per cent rise reported at Waitrose and 23 per cent at Sainsbury's.

When the red wine Porta 6 was featured on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, demand was so great that it crashed the website of nationwide chain Majestic.

'Customers were perhaps apprehensive about trying a little-known wine but seeing one on TV with a ringing endorsement broke down that wall,' a spokesman said.

Lucknam Park, a luxury hotel near Bath, said it was now offering Portuguese wines for the first time in 20 years because 'guests have only now discovered them'.

Sophia Bergqvist, who owns the Quinta de la Rosa winery in the Douro region, said: 'Portuguese wines used to be seen as cheap and cheerful and lacking in consistency. It was difficult to remove this reputation, but now it's seen as a quality product at a very good price.'

One theory behind the recent boost in sales is that people who missed out on a holiday to Portugal due to travel restrictions decided they wanted to at least have a taste of the country. 

'Over the years more British people have visited Portugal and discovered our wines,' said Ms Bergqvist. 

'I believe many people in lockdown bought a bottle to feel they are back in the sun. I also think a lot of them felt sorry for us and wanted to support Portugal because they could not come.'

Read more at source: dailymail

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