Portugal celebrates UK support

Oz Clarke, Charles Metcalfe and Nandos were among those recognised for their support of Portuguese wine at the Association of Portuguese Wine Importers annual awards dinner.

Hosted this week by the Portuguese ambassador Dr João da Vallera in London, the event celebrated a year that saw Portugal’s table wines outstrip the country’s fortified category for the first time, taking a 51% share of the country’s exports.

In particular, retiring APWI chairman Danny Cameron highlighted the “fantastic developments” in the UK restaurant sector, which he described as “historically an area where Portugal has been rather weak.”

The APWI also announced a new award to recognise online and mail order retailers. Cameron remarked that this type of outlet “is developing very, very quickly as an interesting category for Portugal.”

Oz Clarke received an extra-ordinary award from the APWI, designed to recognise what Cameron described as “an individual or company who has done something very special for Portugal over the years to raise awareness of the country and category.”

In addition to the APWI awards, Charles Metcalfe received a medal from the Portuguese government in recognition of his long-standing support and commitment to promoting Portuguese wines and food abroad.

The full list of this year’s award winners is as follows:

National Retailer: Majestic Wine

Independent Merchant: Tanners Wine Merchants

Online & Mail Order: The Wine Society

Restaurant: Nandos

Journalism: Olly Smith