Port company The Sogevinus Group is set to ramp up its focus on the UK trade after appointing Sopexa UK to head up a new two-year comms strategy.
The move marks the first time the Portuguese company has done any communication in the UK and is also the first time Sopexa UK has represented a brand or region outside its native France.
The Sogevinus Group owns four premium historic Port brands - Kopke, Barros, Burmester and Calem - and is one of the leading specialists in oak-aged Colheita ports. It also produces still wines from the Douro region.
The move follows the appointment of Tânia Branco Oliveira last July as Sogevinus' new PR and communication director.
Oliveira, who previously worked at Wines of Portugal, said she was looking forward to building relationships with the wine industry in the UK. "This will be our first step into the UK market and it is vital that we communicate in the right way to the right people at the right time so that they understand exactly the USPs of our four port brands. Our brands are premium quality, hand-crafted ports, which are in tune with the contemporary and aspirational life-style that both the consumer and trade in the UK are looking for. I'm really looking forward to making new friends and colleagues in the UK wine industry."
Tânia Branco Oliveira of Sogevinus
The new marketing focus launches this month and will focus on building the company's profile in the UK trade and developing relationships with key trade partners, it said. It has recently worked with Wines of Portugal and will be at The Big Fortified Tasting and the IWC Dinner.
Sopexa UK's managing director Anne Burchett, said she was thrilled to have won the campaign. "It adds brilliantly to our current portfolio of wine clients and it is particularly exciting to be working with a non-French brand as this emphasises this agency's ability to work across regional borders."
Sogevinus' UK importers include Hayward Bros (Kopke), Hallgarten Druitt (Barros), Barwell & Jones (Burmester) and Amathus (Calem).