Wine dominates the alcohol sector in Portugal
The Portuguese wine industry is world-renowned for its Port and Madeira wines. However, there is more to this industry than fortified wines. In fact, all regions of Portugal have the tradition of producing still wine. The Douro region, recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, is most notorious for its ruby-color wine production. In 2022/2023, it accounted for the manufacture of 1.5 million hectoliters of wine. Wines from Alentejo are also famous because of their distinctive characteristics due to warmer climacteric conditions in the region.As of 2022, Portugal had one of Europe’s highest wine export values; furthermore, it was the leading European country by average per capita wine consumption. However, the consumption lowered in 2023 due to the financial crisis that the country faces and restrictions on blood alcohol limit. Simultaneously, the volume of beer produced has been increasing, which justifies the rise in its exports to almost 154.5 million euros in 2023.
Alcohol consumption in Portugal
In Portugal, consuming alcohol is forbidden to people below the age of 18 years. The consumption of alcoholic beverages among Portuguese individuals with the minimal drinking age is, however, very prevalent, with 88 percent of 18-year-olds having consumed alcohol at least once, according to 2022 data. Young women consume more alcohol than young men, but this trend reverses with an increase in age. Overall, 84 percent of men drank alcohol at least once in their lives, while women of generalized age levels stay at the 68 percent benchmark.In terms of preferences, wine continues to dominate the Portuguese alcohol landscape, especially when it comes to daily consumption. Moreover, Portugal lags behind its European counterparts regarding the annual volume of beer consumed per capita. Nevertheless, beer is most often consumed in the country once or twice a week, and this drink has enough national relevance to justify an ever-going rivalry between two national beer brands, Super Bock and Sagres.
