New figures have shown the Ideal
Wine Company team that Port became the UK’s fastest growing fortified wine
category in 2015.
Port wine
Port is a unique style of
fortified wine, which uses grapes that are grown exclusively in the Douro
Valley region of Northern Portugal. Port tends to be a sweet red wine which is
often served with dessert, although producers also make dry, semi-dry and even
white varietals as well.
Like Champagne, the use of the
word ‘Port’ for wine products is regulated around the world. For example in the
European Union, the label ‘Port’ is safeguarded by Protected Designation of
Origin guidelines, which are designed to shield the reputation of specific
regional foods and drinks. Use of the word ‘Port’ isn’t regulated in the US,
although three producers in the Napa Valley region of California recently agreed
to stop using it on their wine labels.
Growing category
Online publication The
Drinks Business recently reported that Port became Britain’s fastest
growing category of fortified wine last year. Figures from Nielsen, a global
information and measurement company, indicate that Port wine sales equalled
more than £79 million in 2015.
Therefore, UK Port wine sales
eclipsed figures for other styles of fortified wine such as Madeira, Vermouth
and Sherry last year. The Nielsen data also suggested that Port now commands
the largest market share for fortified wines in the UK and that branded Ports now
make up 71% of UK Port sales.
Reputable brands
The Fladgate Partnership, which
owns Port brands such as Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft, saw particularly high UK
sales volumes in the famously busy Christmas trading period. Commenting on the
release of these statistics, Andrew Hawes, managing director of Mentzendorff
& Co, which represents The Fladgate Partnership, noted:
“Port’s
2% value growth [in 2015] was driven by its two strongest brands, with Taylor’s
leading the 12 week Christmas 2015 period with a 27% off-trade value share,
with the nearest competitor at 20.2%. On an MAT [moving annual total] basis
Taylor’s holds a 21.8% value share with Cockburn’s [made by Symington Family
Estates, one of the largest Port Companies on the planet] at 22.2%.”
Buy Fonseca Port
Fladgate
Partnership Port brands such as Taylor’s and Fonseca have proved consistently
popular with UK consumers for years. If you want to see why British fortified
wine enthusiasts love Fonseca, why don’t you buy Fonseca's Finest 1977 Vintage Port from the Ideal Wine Company? This famous vintage
boasts a rich flavour that’ll provide you with the drinking experience of a
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