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Vineyards and wine are particularly deeply linked with our land, its culture and traditions. It’s a heritage which is enriched day by day, a way of life of our people, a feature of our collective identity.

Nowadays, national wine production is also a synonym of innovation, of technical improvement, of selection and of perfection.

It is the example of a combined balance of financial and physical, human and technological resources. It is the evidence of entrepreneurialism and creativity, thus contributing to an image of prestige recognized across our borders.

Portuguese winegrowers produce admirable panoply of colours, aromas and flavours, in a diversity allied to the best quality.

This is not just due to the soils and climate of our Country. Knowledge and innovation are a necessary requisite for the creation of a different wine, which incorporates and conveys all the talent of its producer, which places his soul in each new wine produced, making it unique.

Internationally, Portuguese wines have become asserted as differentiating proposals, supported by the diversity and by the singularity of its varieties, associated to a very consistent quality and an excellent quality-price ratio.

We have currently 47 wine regions in Portugal, with 33 Designations of Origin and 8 Geographical Indications duly recognized and protected.

Our country’s wines are more than ever the object of regard and awarded international prizes.

The prestigious Wine Spectator magazine includes this year 6 Portuguese wines in the top 100 world best (two Ports, three Douro and one Alentejo) which, on its own, places Portugal as one of the more outstanding worldwide producers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Wine was never just another agricultural product. Much more than an earth’s resource, wine has been, since immemorial times, a cultural value coated by a unique symbology.

Narrated in texts, sung in poems, idolized in mythology, reproduced in paintings, sculptures, tapestries and stained glass, wine is the means to toast love, family, successful contracts, peace treaties and other moments of happiness.

In addition to its presence in society as a cultural and timeless element, wine is becoming more than ever looked upon due to its economic relevance, with its weight in our exports being consistently strengthened.

Fundamental in the internationalization strategy of our wines is the consolidation of new markets and the reinforcement of their high image of quality.

The attraction of viniculture, as a business area, has been becoming naturally strengthened. I had the opportunity to confirm this in a meeting with young oenologists, in my encounters relating to youths and the future of the economy, as well as in the visits I carry out throughout the country.

The passion they dedicate to the creation of their wines, allied to the reinforcement of their skills and knowledge is a guarantee for future success.

In this ceremony, in the Institute of Port and Douro Wines, we are paying a tribute to the Portuguese viniculture sector, selecting a group of winegrowers not limited to this region, from the entire Northern region, which, amongst others, have outstandingly contributed to turn our country into a bigger Portugal.

And I am extremely pleased to award them with the Order of Entrepreneurial Merit – Agricultural Merit Class, as a public recognition of their contribution to the national economy and to our Country’s image.