Strategic Plan for the Azores Wine Production Sector 2022-2031 presented - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e do Desenvolvimento Rural

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, António Ventura, stated today that the Strategic Plan for the Azores Wine Production Sector is an important source of information, which will certainly contribute to the definition of policies for the wine sector over the next decade.    

António Ventura chaired today the presentation of the Strategic Plan for the Azores Wine Production Sector that took place at Biscoitos Cooperative Winery on the island of Terceira.    

"The Plan, as of today, will be under public consultation. This will create an opportunity for interested parties to make their contributions and, thus, further improve the level of participation that this document has already involved so far," he said.    

It should be noted that this document received contributions from about fifty personalities, most of whom are renowned for their expertise in the field of wine production and oenology at a regional, national and even international level.

In addition to the analysis that is made in the document regarding the "state of the art" of the wine production sector in the Azores, the Plan includes 18 measures and 58 actions to be carried out in the next decade.    

"It is, therefore, a plan for the medium term that safeguards what is necessary to be developed, fostered and supported in the regional wine sector in coming years," António Ventura stressed.    

The document, which covers the entire Region, also provides for a number of actions to be developed on each island. However, it recommends the upcoming establishment and implementation of plans for each island, according to the specific features of each island.    

The government official also stated that the plan also emphasises, as a matter of utmost importance, "the creation of the Azores Vine and Wine Institute, an entity that will be responsible for monitoring, controlling and promoting the regional wine sector. It will also provide an important contribution to the definition of policies in the sector and their implementation."    

Two other important measures are included in this Plan, namely the implementation of the "White Paper" on Wine Tourism in the Autonomous Region of the Azores." According to the Regional Secretary, this is "an area with a strong potential in our Region, seeing that it may contribute to the success of the regional wine sector and of our economy, as well as to the creation of the "Azores Wine Route."    

The Plan provides for the creation of the Azores Vine and Wine Observatory, which may carry out, within the scope of its mission, tasks such as the preparation of reports on the implementation of the Strategic Plan, the monitoring of the VITIS programme and the sustainability of the regional wine sector. This entity will also assess the social and economic impact of production from Direct Producers and Direct Producer Hybrids in the Azores.    

Furthermore, "it can also make suggestions regarding experimentation, dissemination and training; regarding the promotion and marketing of regional wine products, and regarding the dissemination of the regional wine tourism," the government official said.