In this article, we undertake the analysis of wine sector in Portugal from the point of view of its sustainable development. Wine industry is one of the strategic branches of Portuguese economy, being Portugal one of traditional wine producers. The alcohol industry the wine segment belongs to is at least controversial: on the one hand, it has the stigma of "sin" due to its negative social and health consequences, on the other hand, wine has long been associated with the divine symbolism as element of religious rites. In addition, some studies show a positive impact on health in controlled consumption of red wine. Due to global reach of wine market, the article first presents a wider context that affects wine market in Portugal, and then, puts forward the internal situation and efforts towards a sustainable development of this sector of the Portuguese economy. The methodology adopted here is the analysis of literature from various fields of knowledge related to wine economy.