TALK DRINKS

National Margarita Day is Tomorrow!

While it’s not an official holiday, Barman “Willie” deserves a drink in his honor after creating the first official Margarita around 1934 in Mexico City. We don’t know about you, but we will use any reason to enjoy a cocktail, especially one using the world’s top-rated tequila, Tequila Partida!

Tequila Partida, made from 100% blue agave in the heart of Mexico’s historic Tequila region, adds a healthy twist to America’s favorite cocktail. All-natural and created with fewer calories than traditional margaritas, this refreshing take on a cocktail classic works great with Partida Blanco or Reposado Tequilas.



The Partida Margarita
1 ½ ounces Partida Tequila (Blanco or Reposado)
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice (the juice of one whole lime)
¾ ounces Partida Agave Nectar (to taste)
¾ ounces pure water
Shake all ingredients with ice in standard bar shaker.
Taste. Add additional lime juice if you prefer more tartness; add more agave nectar for more sweetness.
Serve in glass on rocks. No garnish, no salt.

Portuguese Wine Exports Up 15% in USA for the First 10 Months of 2012

ViniPortugal, the trade association responsible for the promotion of Portuguese wines around the world, announced that Portugal’s exports of table wine to the USA increased 15% in the first ten months of 2012 over the same period in 2011. Sales of Portuguese wines (excluding port wine) reached €22.78 million ($29.55 million at 10/31/12) in the US in the first ten months of 2012, up from €19.84 million ($25.74 million at 10/31/12) in the first ten months of the year prior.

In March of 2012, ViniPortugal launched a $3 million campaign to promote the Wines of Portugal (www.winesofportugal.info) in the USA. The campaign’s efforts, led by ViniPortugal Marketing Director Nuno Vale and his team, and agency partners Colangelo & Partners PR and Full Circle Wine Solutions, seem to have paid off. “We are extremely pleased with these results and excited to continue to showcase the range and diversity of Portugal’s wines in 2013,” said Nuno Vale. Most recently, Portuguese wines were celebrated at a VIP lunch and tasting in New York featuring the Top 50 Wines of Portugal as chosen by Master Sommelier and Master of Wine, Doug Frost.

While exports were up by 15%  in value, export volume was up 8% for the first ten months of the year, a positive indicator that US consumers have recognized the appeal of Portuguese table wines as more high quality examples made their way into the country in 2012. Volume sales increased from 8.36 million liters in the first ten months of 2011 to 8.99 million liters in the same period of 2012.

The United States, which was the 6th largest export market for Portugal in 2011, represents a key market for Portugal. As Jorge Monteiro, the President of ViniPortugal, explains, “The United States is our main priority. We believe that anything good we do in the US will have an impact on other markets.”

 

ABOUT VINI PORTUGAL

Created in 1997, ViniPortugal is a trade association whose aim is to promote Portuguese wines, brandies and vinegars in the domestic and target international markets. ViniPortugal provides strategic support to the Portuguese wine sector, bringing together organizations representing trade (ANCEVE and ACIBEV), production (FENAVI and FEVIPOR), cooperative wineries (FENADEGAS), distillers (AND), farmers (CAP), demarcated regions (ANDOVI) and government bodies (IVV). ViniPortugal’s promotional activity is financed by a variable sum made from payments by producers to the Institute of Vine and Wine (IVV) for certifying their wines, brandies and vinegar