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Amathus unveils new Portuguese portfolio

The wholesaler and retailer’s new Portuguese portfolio features wines from top producers including Douro Vertice, Quinta de Maritavora and the Azores Wine Company.

Jeremy Lithgow MW, head of wine at Amathus Drinks said: “We have taken on more than 30 wines from 11 producers in Portugal including sparkling and still wines from Douro Vertice and organic reds from Quinta de Maritavora.”

New wines include the singular and delicious Azorean wines made by António Maçanita, who is widely viewed in Portugal as one of the country’s leading winemakers.

Lithgow said the opening of Portuguese restaurant Volta da Mar in London’s Covent Garden in November had “brought forward” the move to import new Portuguese wines.

Lithgow created the wine list for the restaurant.

Amathus Drinks’ Portugal push comes ahead of the company’s wine expansion into Southern Europe in 2020, which will see new wine listings from Greece and the Iberian peninsular.

The company announced yesterday that it had branched out into Catalonia by taking on two organic reserva cavas from producer Vins El Cep’s MIM natura range.

The company’s new Portuguese portfolio includes wines from diverse regions of the country including, Alentejo, Tejo, Bairrada, the Azores, Douro and Dão.

Amathus Drinks has historically been a spirits-led wholesaler but in September it told Harpers plans to double its wine portfolio would include a push on the Iberian Peninsular before Christmas.

Lithgow said there were big market opportunities in Portugal.

“There is room for growth as Raymond Reynolds is the only UK importer that does Portugal in depth,” he said.

Next year is likely to be a big year for Amathus Drinks, with the company - owned by the Georgiou family - looking to open new shops to add to its existing five outlets in London and elsewhere in Britain.

“We have not made a final decision on the new shops yet; we are looking for the right locations,” Lithgow said.

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• Portuguese Wine