Celebrate the Diversity with European Wines

Spain and Portugal have joined forces to launch a three-year campaign designed to increase awareness of their wines in the UK, placing quality, sustainability and the remarkable diversity of the Iberian Peninsula at its heart.

The Celebrate the Diversity with European Wines initiative, co-funded by the European Union, was officially launched in London by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organisation (OIVE) and ViniPortugal (Wines of Portugal). Over the next three years, the campaign will target both the UK wine trade and consumers through tastings, educational events, media partnerships and immersive visits to wine regions across both countries.

At its heart, the campaign seeks to shine a spotlight on wines protected under the European Union's Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) schemes, highlighting the heritage, authenticity and production standards that underpin many of Spain and Portugal's finest wines.

Together, Spain and Portugal account for the world's largest vineyard area and boast hundreds of indigenous grape varieties, diverse terroirs and centuries of winemaking expertise. Rather than competing, the two countries hope the campaign will encourage buyers, sommeliers and consumers to explore the breadth of styles available from both nations.

Speaking at the launch, Susana García, general director of OIVE, described the UK as one of the world's most influential wine markets.

"The UK is one of the world's most dynamic and influential wine markets, with consumers and professionals who increasingly value authenticity, sustainability and quality," she said. "Through Celebrate the Diversity, we want to showcase the breadth and richness of Spanish and Portuguese wines and help wine lovers discover the treasures yet to be found in these territories."

Frederico Falcão, president of ViniPortugal, echoed the sentiment, saying the partnership reflects both countries' shared heritage and complementary strengths.

"Spain and Portugal share a remarkable winemaking heritage, but they also offer extraordinary diversity. This campaign will provide UK trade with the knowledge and inspiration needed to explore the many different wine regions, styles and quality wines our countries have to offer."

UK remains a strategic market

The UK was selected as one of the campaign's priority markets thanks to its sophisticated wine culture and increasing consumer interest in provenance, sustainability and authenticity.

Despite wider challenges facing the global wine market, Falcão said the UK continues to perform well for Portuguese wines.

"2025 was quite a negative year for the world wine trade," he said. "Portugal saw a slight decrease in export value globally, but in the UK we managed to grow in both value and volume."

According to Falcão, Portuguese wine exports to the UK increased by almost 3% in value and 2% in volume last year, demonstrating continued consumer demand despite difficult trading conditions. 

While Portugal currently ranks ninth in the UK by both volume and value, Falcão said there remains significant room for growth.

"We're happy with the progress, but we want more. We want to continue increasing our market share and exporting more of our best wines."

For Spain, García suggested the opportunity lies not only in increasing volumes but also broadening consumers' understanding of what Spanish wine can offer.

She pointed to growing interest in regions such as Galicia, Priorat, Aragón and the Canary Islands, alongside continued enthusiasm for lesser-known indigenous grape varieties.

"We want consumers to discover the diversity of Spanish wines beyond the classics," she said, adding that tourism has also played an important role in driving demand for wines from both countries.

Tourism driving discovery

Both speakers highlighted the strong relationship between tourism and wine consumption.

Portugal, in particular, has seen a clear correlation between increasing visitor numbers and export performance.

"We carried out a study comparing tourist numbers with wine exports," Falcão explained. "The two curves were remarkably similar."

He argued that visitors who experience Portuguese wines while travelling are far more likely to seek them out once they return home, making tourism one of the country's most effective promotional tools.

As a result, the campaign will include educational trips for UK journalists and trade professionals, allowing them to experience the vineyards, producers and regional diversity first-hand.

Study tours will deliberately feature producers of all sizes.

"We try to show diversity," said Falcão. "Small producers, medium-sized wineries and larger companies all have an important role to play."

A focus on premiumisation

Rather than focusing solely on increasing consumption, both organisations emphasised the importance of encouraging consumers to drink better.

García acknowledged the challenges currently facing the global wine industry but suggested premiumisation offers a more sustainable path forward.

"The world is facing uncertainty, and uncertainty is not a good friend of wine," she said. "What we'd like is for consumers to drink better, to appreciate where wine comes from and to enjoy the journey behind every bottle."

She also noted changing consumer preferences present an opportunity for Iberian producers, particularly in white wines.

While global red wine consumption continues to decline, both Portugal and Spain are well positioned to benefit from growing demand for fresh, characterful white wines made from indigenous grape varieties. 

Why the trade matters

A central pillar of the campaign will be engaging directly with the UK wine trade.

Both García and Falcão described British importers, journalists, educators and hospitality professionals as among the most knowledgeable and influential in the world, making them natural ambassadors for Spanish and Portuguese wines.

"The UK trade is highly qualified and incredibly professional," García said. "They are the people who influence consumers."

Over the next three years, Celebrate the Diversity with European Wines will deliver trade tastings, workshops, educational events and media activity across the UK, all designed to raise awareness of PDO and PGI wines while reinforcing the quality, heritage and sustainability credentials that define the wines of Spain and Portugal as part of Europe's diverse wine culture.

Campaign financed with the support of the European Union.

Enjoy wine responsibly.

#ad #EUAgripromo #PDOIGP #CelebratetheDiversity #WinesfromSpainandPortugal