With the ambition of attracting between 1,000 and 1,500 attendees to The Cube, a historic building in California, the festival will feature wines from 44 Portuguese producers, culinary offerings by Portuguese-American chef Telmo Faria, and a performance by fado singer Helder Carvalheira, both based in San Francisco.
“We have identified the United States as a potential market, with existing noteworthy recognition for Portuguese wines and significant international growth potential,” explained Isabel Marrana.
“We are gathering many people, flavors, wine varieties, and grape types here,” she described. “We have much to offer to the trade and American consumers.”
The objective of the Port Wine Fest is primarily to increase wine sales in the U.S. market and promote Portugal as a tourist destination, emphasizing wine tourism.
The executive director highlighted that there will be specific tasting hours for consumers and purchasing managers at the festival. “Our goal is for restaurants to include Portuguese wines on their menu, for American and San Francisco wine shops to carry Portuguese wines, and for consumers to seek them out, know what they are ordering, and identify the experience they had in Portugal.”
The Port Wine Fest occurs at a time when tariffs imposed by the current administration of Donald Trump have impacted international trade. However, Isabel Marrana stated that AEVP remains committed to seeing this as a long-term investment market.
“The uncertainty of tariffs only creates greater challenges and does not reduce the opportunity,” she emphasized. “The United States remains a significant market for Portuguese wines, particularly for Douro and Port wines,” she noted.
Reception has increased as Portugal becomes more recognized. “A few years ago, we still needed maps to explain where Portugal was, but not today,” stated Isabel Marrana. “We have appealing engagement from both the trade and, particularly, consumers, motivating us to invest energy, passion, and resources in bringing Portuguese wines to the world.”
The venture in San Francisco is the first of three in this mission, followed by Chicago on October 2 and New York on October 6. This series of initiatives is funded by the PRR – Recovery and Resilience Plan, with funds allocated until June 2026.
“By combining gastronomy with wines, traditional Portuguese music, and tourism, we truly have an extensive offering, particularly in terms of price/quality. It is absolutely unbeatable.”
