Why aren’t we drinking more Portuguese wine?

They’re cheap, they’re well made, and they’re mostly available – so what’s the catch?

Portuguese wines are cheap, well-made and mostly available. So why aren’t we drinking more of them?

My pal Tim McNally and I have been discussing this quite a bit lately. Tim, the award-winning writer, wine judge, and New Orleans radio host, is baffled by Portugal’s lack of success in the U.S. One recent survey about popular imports included Australia, even though Australian wine hasn’t mattered much in the U.S. in years.

“Why the hell can’t Portugal crack the sales market?” he asked me. “Good wines, delightful qualities, and cheap. But Portugal is a perennial also-ran.”

I’ve noticed the same thing, and have done my best over the past 18 months to change that. Want a cheap, well-made white for parties or when friends come over? Portugal has vinho verde. Want some sturdy, affordable reds for dinner? Then there are only a couple of dozen to choose from. Want whites that do the same thing? Again, many to choose from.

So what’s the catch? Three things stand out:

• Not quite understanding the U.S. market. One leading Portuguese wine type recently blamed his country’s lack of success on old-fashioned (and very plonk-y) wines like Lancer’s and Mateus. But neither have been popular for 30 years, and hardly anyone buying wine these days knows what they are.

• Targeting the wrong audience. If you’re worried about Lancer’s and Mateus, then you’re chasing the wrong audience. Focus on young people, Portugal, young people. I can buy a quality 1-liter bottle of vinho verde – apple-y, slightly sweet, and a little fizzy – for $8. Am I the only who thinks that’s more fun to drink than a can of hard seltzer?

• Supermarkets and their increasing importance in selling wine. More than half the wine sold in the U.S. is sold by grocers, but the biggest Big Wine companies dominate the business. That leaves little room for Portugal on the shelves among the all of the 19 Crimes, Apothic, and Barefoot. Still, I find it difficult to believe that a country with a centuries-old wine business can’t figure out a solution to that problem.