Spanish and Portuguese Wine Groups Launch U.K. Campaign to Promote Protected-Origin Bottles

Spanish and Portuguese wine groups have launched a joint promotion campaign in the United Kingdom aimed at raising the profile of European quality wines among trade buyers, hospitality professionals and media, beginning this week with a series of events in London.

The initiative, called “Celebrate the Diversity,” is led by the Interprofessional Wine Organization of Spain, known as OIVE, in partnership with Portugal’s ViniPortugal. The three-year program is co-financed by the European Union and is designed to strengthen awareness, competitiveness and market positioning for wines protected under European quality schemes, including PDO and PGI labels, in three non-E.U. markets: the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway.

The British launch took place from July 7 to July 9 in London, where Spanish and Portuguese wines were featured in a workshop, a pairing dinner and a presentation for specialized press. Organizers said the events were intended to show the range of styles produced in both countries and to reconnect producers with importers, distributors, restaurants, hotels and specialty retailers in Britain.

The campaign had already been introduced in Switzerland in June and is scheduled to continue in Oslo in September. The United Kingdom is a central target for the program because it remains Spain’s leading export destination for wine by both value and volume, according to OIVE.

Speaking at a press event held at Hispania Kensington in London, Susana García, OIVE’s director general, described Britain as a key commercial partner for the Spanish wine sector. Addressing more than 20 British journalists and opinion leaders, she said the campaign was intended to reconnect wine-producing regions with businesses across the country that can help drive consumer sales. She also pointed to Spain’s 106 PDOs and 43 PGIs as core assets in that effort, saying they represent quality, respect for origin and diversity.

The new campaign builds on an earlier collaboration between the Spanish and Portuguese organizations that began in 2022 under another E.U.-backed program called “A Shared Passion.” The two groups say the renewed partnership reflects both the historical ties between their wine sectors and a shared export strategy at a time when competition for shelf space and restaurant listings remains intense across international markets.

Spain and Portugal together account for the largest vineyard area in the world, and both countries have a high concentration of wine regions recognized under European quality systems. By presenting their wines side by side, the organizers are seeking to make a broader case for Iberian diversity rather than promoting only individual appellations or brands.

Over the three years of the campaign, OIVE and ViniPortugal plan to hold 17 workshops and 9 VIP dinners for importers, distributors and members of Britain’s hospitality sector. The program also includes outreach to digital influencers and 9 study trips intended to give trade professionals direct exposure to production areas in Spain. The first of those visits has already taken place in Navarra and Somontano.

For Spain’s wine sector, the campaign comes as producer groups continue to put more resources into export development amid slower consumption trends in some traditional markets and growing pressure to differentiate wines through origin, quality certification and regional identity. In that context, Britain remains especially important not only because of its scale as an importer but also because of its influence on restaurant buying, retail trends and international visibility for wine brands.

The London events were structured around that commercial logic. The workshop brought together wines from both countries for professional tasting and discussion. The pairing dinner was designed to show how different styles from Spain and Portugal can work across a range of dishes. The media presentation introduced the broader goals of the campaign to specialized journalists who cover wine and gastronomy.

OIVE said the project is part of its wider commitment to developing foreign markets for Spanish wine. By combining resources with Portugal and using E.U. support, the organization is trying to expand recognition of protected-origin wines beyond Europe while giving trade buyers a clearer view of the range available from Iberian producers.

The emphasis on PDO and PGI wines is also significant because those labels remain one of the main tools European producers use to distinguish themselves in export markets. For Spain, whose wine offer spans large-volume categories as well as highly specific regional appellations, that message is meant to underline both scale and diversity. For Portugal, which has long relied on strong regional identities in categories from still wines to fortified styles, the joint platform offers another route into trade conversations in competitive northern European markets.

The campaign’s next stages will test whether that message can translate into stronger commercial ties with buyers in Britain, Switzerland and Norway as organizers continue their schedule of tastings, dinners and educational visits over the coming months.