Global sales of denomination of origin wines from the Rías Baixas region have increased in volume by 21.65%, with 6.2 million litres sold in international markets, financialfood.es has reported.
This growth has been mirrored by an increase in this season's export sales, which have reached €32.1 million between 1 September 2015 and 30 August 2016. Of the 180 bodegas that have acquired this denomination, 97 have already set up export strategies.
North America and Europe, and in particular EU countries, have followed this positive growth trend with increases in consumption of 17.6% and 23.75%, respectively. The US will surpass purchases of 3.1 million litres, while EU member states consume 2.4 million litres.
Sales outside of Spanish borders make up 28% of total production - Rías Baixas wines are available in 64 foreign markets. In less than a decade, more than 80 bodegas are exporting to the United States.
The president of the Regulatory Board of the Denomination of Origin Rías Baixas, Juan Gil de Araujo, said he was satisfied with these numbers and explained that this export increase "wasn't an accident because the board and the industry as a whole has spent many years carving out a place in foreign markets".
More than 65% of the body's budget has been earmarked for promotion, which has influenced penetration of external markets. The majority of bodegas of a certain size are exporting at this point, he added.
The Minister of Rural Areas, Ángeles Vázquez, promised to continue the government's support of the internationalisation of Rías Baixas wines. She congratulated the sector and the board as "the most proactive" in exports of the viniculture sector of Galicia.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
