DARTMOUTH – Jack Couto, a national Iberian portfolio manager at MS Walker wholesale distributor of wines and spirits with 40 years of experience in the business, says he remains confident the wine industry won’t get crushed like grapes despite President Trump’s threats to slap potentially crippling tariffs on European wines.
In March, Trump threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff on European wine imports but subsequently decided to reduce it to 20 percent. On April 9, he announced a 90-day reprieve and lowered E.U. tariffs to 10 percent for the time being.
“It seems like they’re going to sit down and talk. I don’t think the U.S. wants the European Union to retaliate and impose a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey and bourbon either,” said Couto. “I think we’ll get to a successful conclusion.”
And Couto, who specializes in wines of Portugal, is predicting great things for Portuguese wines overall.
He said Portuguese wines have been growing significantly in popularity in the United States, which has become a major market for Portuguese wine exports.
“Today, Portugal is the eighth supplier of total wine imports for the U.S.,” he said. “The United States is now the number one destination for Wines of Portugal. This is incredible.”
Launched in 2010, the Wines of Portugal brand is a collective initiative by the Portuguese wine industry, managed by ViniPortugal, which aims to promote the country’s wines and their unique characteristics internationally.
According to ViniPortugal, Portuguese wine exports to the United States reached more than $113 million in 2024.
“It’s something we should be proud,” Couto said. “I can tell you that vinho verde sells over one million cases in the United States.”
MS Walker’s portfolio includes about 100 Portuguese wines
Couto worked for Whitehall (which became Signature Imports) for 20 years before starting his own wine distribution company, Grape Moments, in New Bedford. Eleven years ago, he sold his company’s portfolio to MS Walker, a 5th-generation, family-owned wine and spirits importer and distributor, which started in Boston in 1933.
He said MS Walker’s current portfolio includes more than 7,000 wines and about 100 of those come from Portugal. Their clients, who Couto likes to call partners, are wine stores and restaurants scattered across the nation.
“MS Walker is divided in two segments,” he said. “We have the distribution part, which we are in New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Massachusetts being the headquarters. And then we have the national division, which is what I work for. We are currently in 50 states. We don’t sell just wines, but also spirits. Wines of Portugal probably represent 35 to 40 percent of our national division.”
Among their Portuguese signature wines are Dona Maria, Castello D’Alba, Foral Alvarinho, Ruelas, Montaria and Eruptio.
“Eruptio is a very unique, volcanic wine from Pico in the Azores,” he said, highlighting its taste and aroma. “This wine is stunning. Smelling it, you get seaweed, salinity, and a little bit of gunpowder because of the lava. It got the gold medal in Wines & Spirits magazine. But it’s a very small production and I can only get 500 cases.”
Portuguese wine holds a lot of promise
Although they were initially primarily found in ethnic enclaves, Couto said Portuguese wines are becoming increasingly popular with private consumers and progressively visible on restaurant menus across the United States.
“People are now excited about Portuguese wine and ask for it,” he said. “Our wines are now in major wine lists in a lot of restaurants throughout the country. Emeril Lagasse, in Louisiana, has probably 15 wines on his list. Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, who is famous for his two-Michelin star restaurant Alma in Lisbon, now has a restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida, called Sereia and carries our wines. These are the types of places we want to position ourselves in. We want to maintain the existing supporters, but we also want to deliver the message about Portuguese wines to the luxury market, which is super important.”
Couto estimated MS Walker sells Portuguese wines to thousands of restaurants.
“We have one of the most successful wine portfolios and wines from all over the world, and the Portuguese market has been a flagship for our portfolio,” he said. “I now have customers who are creating sessions of wines of Portugal. I just feel so privileged that the seeds that I and others planted years ago are now giving fruits.”
What makes Portuguese wines so appealing?
Nowadays, Port and Madeira no longer dominate Portugal’s wine exports.
Couto said Portuguese wines are becoming more popular, particularly among younger generations, thanks to their distinct flavors, diversity, value and expanding quality.
“Portugal is the 11th global producer of wine and has the most indigenous grape varieties per square kilometer in the world,” he said. “Portugal and Italy are the countries with the most diversity of grape varieties. Portugal has over 250 and Italy over 400.”
The country’s native grape varieties, such as Touriga Nacional and Alvarinho, offer wine lovers a taste of Portugal’s unique terroir and winemaking heritage.
Couto said Portugal’s diverse landscape and varied terrain create a range of microclimates that influence the region’s wines and their quality.
“We have the Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean influences,” he said. “You have a diversity of soils, including schist, quartz, sand, limestone, quartz, clay, granite… if we blend all these microclimates with the uniqueness of the grape varieties and the soil diversity… Those are the top three ingredients to make different wines – wines with personality.”
Portugal has 14 wine regions, and he said each one has its own personality.
“That’s the beauty of it,” he said. “We try to stay away from making wines just to please a certain type of consumer. Drinking one of these wines is like having an experience, a pleasure. You may not drink that wine for another six months, but you’re going to remember it. The wines define the personality and the authenticity of the region.”
While budget-friendly, these wines don’t sacrifice quality, he stressed.
“Portuguese winemakers are known for blending rich old heritage traditions with innovative technologies, modern techniques and science,” he said, noting that there has been a concerted effort to transition towards biodiversity and organic farming.
“We have wineries that have 400 years of history,” he added. “Preserving our DNA, personality and authenticity like we do with our grape varieties, that’s what separates us from the others.”
This has translated into numerous international awards and accolades for Portuguese wines, and increased wine tourism.
But there is also a highly trained and well-travelled new generation of winemakers, with 60 percent being female.
With tourism demand for Portugal reaching record highs, he said returning tourists are increasingly seeking out Portuguese wines after visiting the country.
“Portugal is facing the most incredible moment in the United States, not just in wine but also in olive oils, in cheeses, and other brands related to gastronomy,” he said.
How MS Walker’s personal approach is creating Portuguese wine ambassadors
A native of Sintra, mainland Portugal, Couto said he not only wants MS Walker to be a conduit for people to discover the great wines Portugal has to offer, but also to learn more about its winemakers and experience the country’s beauty and rich culture and history.
In addition to traveling extensively around the United States to introduce and promote Portuguese wines, Couto hosts educational tasting events, attends wine festivals and expos and takes groups on wine tours to Portugal.
“We want to make it about the experience,” he said. “It’s one thing when you explain something or show pictures, it’s another thing when they step on the land… they can feel it. And when they come back, they became the true ambassadors of MS Walker Wines of Portugal portfolio.”
But he admitted that a great part of the success Portuguese wines is currently experiencing in the United States should be credited to the ‘mercado da saudade (nostalgia market),’ as the Portuguese community and businesses have acted as a true ambassador, helping increase brand awareness and driving sales up.
“It’s really a team effort,” he said. “We’re all partners, from the vineyards to us as an importer to the retailer. Until it reaches the consumer, we are all partners. That’s how we succeed. Together, we go far.”