Fears of "Brexit" are stark among the inhabitants of Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland and Belcoo in Northern Ireland, UK - two border villages that could be further separated if the United Kingdom opts to leave the European Union.

Only a gurgling stream separates the two villages, but Ireland's soft border could become a hard fact of life again if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the sovereignty-sharing bloc that has done much to blur the 95-year-old boundary.

Should a majority of British voters reject continued EU membership in the UK's June 23 referendum, Northern Ireland's nearly 500-kilometre (310-mile) frontier with the Irish Republic would become the only British land border with the 27-nation EU.

The closely intertwined residents of Belcoo in Northern Ireland and Blacklion barely 200 metres (218 yards) away in the republic would find themselves again in two diverging lands.

While some view that prospect as an opportunity, many more express dread at the thought.

Farmer Hugh Maguire, 60, whose Blacklion home rests barely inside the republic but whose nearby farm of sheep, cattle and hens lies in Northern Ireland, said he could not survive without EU subsidies.

Both communities are heavily dependent on EU funding. Agriculture is the top employer, and farms receive 329 euros (365 US dollars) per hectare of land from the EU's Single Farm Payment subsidy scheme in place since 2003, an annual payment exceeding 80,000 euros (90,000 US dollars) for Maguire's 241-hectare farm.

Few Northern Ireland farmers are confident that the British government, long a critic of EU farm subsidies, would maintain anything close to that level of state support.

Maguire estimates that EU payments provide two-thirds of his income while most of the rest requires open market access to livestock marts in the republic, where prices for spring lamb are stronger.

Behind the bar in 'Jack's Bar' in Belcoo in Northern Ireland, owner Paul Leonard and his son Stephen look likely to cancel each other's votes. The son favors staying in the EU, while the father is eyeing the exit.

Fears of "Brexit" are stark among the inhabitants of Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland and Belcoo in Northern Ireland, UK - two border villages that could be further separated if the United Kingdom opts to leave the European Union.

Only a gurgling stream separates the two villages, but Ireland's soft border could become a hard fact of life again if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the sovereignty-sharing bloc that has done much to blur the 95-year-old boundary.

Should a majority of British voters reject continued EU membership in the UK's June 23 referendum, Northern Ireland's nearly 500-kilometre (310-mile) frontier with the Irish Republic would become the only British land border with the 27-nation EU.

The closely intertwined residents of Belcoo in Northern Ireland and Blacklion barely 200 metres (218 yards) away in the republic would find themselves again in two diverging lands.

While some view that prospect as an opportunity, many more express dread at the thought.

Farmer Hugh Maguire, 60, whose Blacklion home rests barely inside the republic but whose nearby farm of sheep, cattle and hens lies in Northern Ireland, said he could not survive without EU subsidies.

Both communities are heavily dependent on EU funding. Agriculture is the top employer, and farms receive 329 euros (365 US dollars) per hectare of land from the EU's Single Farm Payment subsidy scheme in place since 2003, an annual payment exceeding 80,000 euros (90,000 US dollars) for Maguire's 241-hectare farm.

Few Northern Ireland farmers are confident that the British government, long a critic of EU farm subsidies, would maintain anything close to that level of state support.

Maguire estimates that EU payments provide two-thirds of his income while most of the rest requires open market access to livestock marts in the republic, where prices for spring lamb are stronger.

Behind the bar in 'Jack's Bar' in Belcoo in Northern Ireland, owner Paul Leonard and his son Stephen look likely to cancel each other's votes. The son favors staying in the EU, while the father is eyeing the exit.

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 24 May 2016

1. Farmer Hugh Maguire with a calf and cows on pasture

2. Close of calf

3. Sheep running on pasture

4. Maguire, pointing to horizon UPSOUND (English): "Right around the borderline of the mountain, right the way on, you can see parts of Southern Ireland."

5. Sheep grazing

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hugh Maguire, farmer:

"Probably 70 percent of my income is off it, 65 to 70 percent is from the EU (European Union). We couldn't survive only for the subsidies. There is no way we could survive, especially on this land that we're farming."

7. Maguire leaving farm through gate

AP TELEVISION

Belcoo, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) - 24 May 2016

8. Bridge leading from Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK) to Blacklion, Republic of Ireland, with sign reading (English and Gaelic) "Welcome to County Cavan"

9. Close of sign reading (English and Gaelic) "Blacklion" with speed limit in kilometres per hour

10. Bridge connecting Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK) and Blacklion, Republic of Ireland

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 24 May 2016

11. Sign of "The Market House" tourist centre and gift shop

12. Tourist administrator Helena Corcoran talking to colleague in tourist centre

13. Leprechaun puppets for sale in tourist centre

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Helena Corcoran, tourist administrator and local resident:

"We've had so much tragedy and grief along the border area, that I just feel and hope that they will stay in. My fear is, I suppose, that this border will appear and will make everyday life difficult for everybody basically, because this is the main road from North to South, from Sligo, and we get a lot of traffic, a lot of tourists, and we've already suffered enough in this area, so we don't need to suffer anymore."

15. Mug for sale with images of Ireland and reading (English) "Greetings from Ireland"

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 25 May 2016

16. Top shot of bridge connecting Blacklion, Republic of Ireland and Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK)

17. SOUNDBITE (English) John Paul Feeley, Cavan County councilman:

"Europe, and the structural funding and the peace funding have been hugely important in terms of giving areas like this the leg-up that they need to reach or to get into step with the rest of the country and progress economically."

AP TELEVISION

Belcoo, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) - 25 May 2016

18. Sign reading (English) Belcoo, with speed limit in miles per hour

19. Bartender Stephen Leonard carrying board out of pub "Jack's Bar"

20. Stephen Leonard serving guests inside pub

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Leonard, bartender:

"Behind the bar you hear both sides of the story, and you hear now a lot of things like there'll be borders back up, the police will be back out stopping and just all stuff like that, and I've never witnessed it, and I wouldn't like to witness it from what you've heard years ago."

22. Stephen Leonard talking to his father Paul Leonard

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Leonard, self-employed pub owner:

"It probably would possibly enhance the economy again, maybe we'd be freer to be able to do things without the regulation of Europe, you know, so it would. At the end of the day, before the UK market ever went down to the EU, they have always had a very strong economy, they were always well able to survive. They have an identity of their own."

24. Paul Leonard pouring beer and handing glass to his son UPSOUND (English): "Hey Stephen, that's for you."

25. Stephen Leonard drinking beer in pub

26. Pan from river to bridge between Blacklion, Republic of Ireland and Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK)

With sparks flying from a welder at work behind him, Simon Boyd's voice rises as he explains why he believes the United Kingdom should leave the European Union even though his company, Reid Steel, has put up buildings across the 28-nation bloc, from the Netherlands to Poland and Italy.

The EU saddles smaller businesses with reams of unnecessary regulations, says Boyd, Managing Director of the UK's largest steel construction company, based in the southern town of Christchurch, England.

That dilutes Britain's reputation for quality and threatens the nation's sovereignty. But more importantly, he claims, it is costing companies like his.

The views of small business owners like Boyd will be key to the outcome of the 23 June referendum on Britain's EU membership, which polls show is still close.

The country's 5.4 million small and medium-size enterprises account for 99 percent of Britain's businesses and employ 15.6 million people, or half of those working in the private sector.

While the media has focused on the fact that most large companies back EU membership, opinion is divided among smaller firms.

When the Federation of Small Businesses surveyed its members last year, it found that 47 percent supported EU membership and 41 percent wanted to leave.

However, a February poll found that 42 percent said their votes could still be swayed.

"I think we have to take this opportunity," Boyd said with passion. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take back control of our own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that overregulation."

The federation has asked both campaigns to detail the economic costs and benefits of EU membership and of leaving the bloc.

Answering those questions is another matter, said Angus Armstrong, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union," he said. "In other words, there is no precedent to look back upon and draw some lessons - so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before."

The International Monetary Fund said this month that a vote to leave the EU would lead to a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" as Britain would be forced to negotiate bilateral trade deals with its former European partners and countries around the world. That would trigger volatility in financial markets and slow economic growth, the fund said.

The Bank of England says a so-called Brexit would also weaken the pound, increasing the cost of imported goods and spurring inflation.

That uncertainty is likely to hit smaller businesses harder than others mainly by making it more difficult for them to get loans - banks tend to shun riskier loans during times of stress.

Uncertainty is exactly what frightens many small business owners, who don't have the resources of global conglomerates to adjust to dramatic changes.

Birmingham spice trader Jason Wouhra is one of the worried.

His family-run business, East End Foods, started out with a corner store that sold fresh chicken and grew into one of the largest importers of ethnic food ingredients in the UK.

He is voting to stay, in large part because he fears that a vote to leave would trigger a decade or more of trade negotiations.

"I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out," Wouhra said.

If Britain leaves the EU, Wouhra fears he would need to re-write all the labels on his company's products and repackage the boxes for every country he trades with.

"It would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds," he said.

But Boyd - who has 130 employees - argues that for smaller companies the benefits of leaving the EU far outweigh the risks of leaving.

Rather than profiting from the EU membership, Reid Steel is actually losing contracts in France because local rules require the company to have a type of insurance you can only buy if you're French, he said.

Moreover, Boyd believes that British companies "will be freer" if the UK leaves the union because they won't have to jump through the EU's regulatory hoops, he said.

With sparks flying from a welder at work behind him, Simon Boyd's voice rises as he explains why he believes the United Kingdom should leave the European Union even though his company, Reid Steel, has put up buildings across the 28-nation bloc, from the Netherlands to Poland and Italy.

The EU saddles smaller businesses with reams of unnecessary regulations, says Boyd, Managing Director of the UK's largest steel construction company, based in the southern town of Christchurch, England.

That dilutes Britain's reputation for quality and threatens the nation's sovereignty. But more importantly, he claims, it is costing companies like his.

The views of small business owners like Boyd will be key to the outcome of the 23 June referendum on Britain's EU membership, which polls show is still close.

The country's 5.4 million small and medium-size enterprises account for 99 percent of Britain's businesses and employ 15.6 million people, or half of those working in the private sector.

While the media has focused on the fact that most large companies back EU membership, opinion is divided among smaller firms.

When the Federation of Small Businesses surveyed its members last year, it found that 47 percent supported EU membership and 41 percent wanted to leave.

However, a February poll found that 42 percent said their votes could still be swayed.

"I think we have to take this opportunity," Boyd said with passion. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to take back control of our own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that overregulation."

The federation has asked both campaigns to detail the economic costs and benefits of EU membership and of leaving the bloc.

Answering those questions is another matter, said Angus Armstrong, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union," he said. "In other words, there is no precedent to look back upon and draw some lessons - so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before."

The International Monetary Fund said this month that a vote to leave the EU would lead to a "protracted period of heightened uncertainty" as Britain would be forced to negotiate bilateral trade deals with its former European partners and countries around the world. That would trigger volatility in financial markets and slow economic growth, the fund said.

The Bank of England says a so-called Brexit would also weaken the pound, increasing the cost of imported goods and spurring inflation.

That uncertainty is likely to hit smaller businesses harder than others mainly by making it more difficult for them to get loans - banks tend to shun riskier loans during times of stress.

Uncertainty is exactly what frightens many small business owners, who don't have the resources of global conglomerates to adjust to dramatic changes.

Birmingham spice trader Jason Wouhra is one of the worried.

His family-run business, East End Foods, started out with a corner store that sold fresh chicken and grew into one of the largest importers of ethnic food ingredients in the UK.

He is voting to stay, in large part because he fears that a vote to leave would trigger a decade or more of trade negotiations.

"I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out," Wouhra said.

If Britain leaves the EU, Wouhra fears he would need to re-write all the labels on his company's products and repackage the boxes for every country he trades with.

"It would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds," he said.

But Boyd - who has 130 employees - argues that for smaller companies the benefits of leaving the EU far outweigh the risks of leaving.

Rather than profiting from the EU membership, Reid Steel is actually losing contracts in France because local rules require the company to have a type of insurance you can only buy if you're French, he said.

Moreover, Boyd believes that British companies "will be freer" if the UK leaves the union because they won't have to jump through the EU's regulatory hoops, he said.

AP TELEVISION

Christchurch - 23 May 2016

1. Various of steel welding

2. Wide of worker prepping cutting of steel

3. Various of steel cutting process

4. Various of Managing Director of Reid Steel Simon Boyd looking at construction plan

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, Reid Steel:

"I think we have to take this opportunity, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, to take back control of hour own destiny. From a business perspective the European Union has been very bad for us. We are over-regulated and held back as a result of that regulation."

6. Cutaway of Reid Steel sign on machinery

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, Reid Steel:

"We're the fifth biggest economy, we're the biggest trading partner, and I think outside the European Union, where the growing market is, where we export a lot of our product, we will be freer, we won't have all these regulatory hoops to jump through that nobody else on the world market has to jump through."

Birmingham - 18 May 2016

8. Various of rice being sifted through machine at East End Foods factory

9. Spice product on conveyer belt

10. Pan of worker with spices putting them into boxes

11. Various of spices and package assembling

12. Tracking shot of East End Foods cash and carry store

13. Various set ups of Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman:

"The ease of trade within Europe is one of the key points from a business perspective. You're able to ship product all over the European Union without any problem. In terms of intellectual property, our trademarks are registered all over the world and the registrations within Europe were the easiest to put through because it's one application for the brand and cost-wise and efficientcy-wise that's excellent. So there are a lot of advantages in terms of the European perspective that help us as a business. And I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty of moving out to be honest."

15. Cutaway of shelves being stacked

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Chairman:

"No one actually knows how it will all transpire, but as an example, we do, East End Foods has 1,300 products in the portfolio. The labelling regulations are such that if they change, we would be in a position that we would have to re-label all of those products potentially, each label costing us a couple of thousand pounds (about 2,800 US dollars) to originate and then the costs of plastics, the cost of materials that we have to reinvest in, it would be a huge expense, possibly going into millions of pounds."

London - 16 May 2016

17. Various set ups of Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics, National Institute of Economic and Social Research:

"No country the size of the United Kingdom has ever left such an integrated economic union as the United Kingdom. In other words, there is no precedent to look back on and draw lessons – so we're in uncharted territory here. Many people say they would like to have more facts. The difficulty is we haven't been here before, and so necessarily there is a lot of uncertainty."

19. Cutaway

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Angus Armstrong, Director of Macroeconomics, National Institute of Economic and Social Research:

"The single market involves a single set of rules. Now for some people, those rules can be perhaps intrusive, and expensive. Many people point to certain rules, which they say cost UK businesses money. On the other hand, it means the same set of rules makes it easier to compete with European counterparts, so it means small companies don't have to worry about recognising different qualifications or being able to access European markets. On the one hand, you have the cost of higher regulations, on the other hand, you have access to a single market with very few barriers."

Birmingham - 18 May 2016

21. Various of flags outside East End Foods factory including St George's (England) and EU flag

The scorching late summer sun of northern Portugal is ripening the black, super-sweet grapes that will go to make what European Union rules say is the only wine that can be called port.

Wine making has for several centuries been a way of life for many families here in the picturesque valley of the River Douro. It's a tradition the EU regulations are designed to protect.

"If it wasn't for wine, the Douro region would be on its knees," says 59-year-old Jose Pereira, a foreman for the Rozes port wine producer, as behind him two dozen local people pick the first grapes of the annual harvest. "Wine is our wealth."

For these workers and the local port wine producers, just like the makers of French champagne, Greek feta cheese or Italy's Parma ham, the EU's name-protection laws help ensure their livelihood by shielding them from industrial-scale, lower-cost copycats.

But port wine's second-largest export market is the United Kingdom, and the impending British exit from the EU is throwing port's almost 50 million euros' (58 million US dollars) worth of annual business there into doubt.

That's because London conspicuously isn't saying whether after leaving the EU next year it will keep the bloc's name protection rules. It could, for example, choose to let in rival port producers from the British Commonwealth, such as South Africa and Australia, as it casts around for post-Brexit trade deals.

Authorities in the United States have long fought against the EU's Geographical Identification (GI) laws, saying they amount to trade barriers - an argument that is not lost on the British government as it eyes closer business ties with Washington.

Product name protection is not a minor issue.

Last week, the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier singled it out as one of the three main outstanding questions, alongside a possible future border in Ireland and working out the post-Brexit EU-UK relationship.

Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London, says Geographical Identification laws are "a very sensitive issue which could jeopardize the whole Brexit negotiations."

He reckons the British government, aware that the UK is a major market for the more than 3,000 EU-protected items, is using the issue as "a bargaining chip" to win advantages in other areas of the negotiations.

EU protected names are prized by businesses. The labelling comes with strict regulations on production and is regarded as a quality guarantee that helps branding and sales.

The EU says the scheme seeks to protect local economies and cultures against misuse of names or imitations.

The policy has been a flashpoint before, being a factor in holding up a trade deal between the EU and the United States, where Geographical Identification rules fall under trademark law and where feta and parmesan, for example, are considered generic names.

Portugal's port wine industry offers a look into how a protected name earns its special status and what's at stake for families and businesses in the Brexit talks.

The Douro Valley has an abundance of arresting landscapes along an almost 200-kilometre (120-mile) stretch, reaching from the Atlantic almost into Spain. The spectacular scenery places it on a par with other outstanding European wine regions, such as the Rhine Valley in Germany or France's Loire.

The valley's steep and stony slopes are scored with contours of green vines that ripple back from the river in corrugated lines. Terraces of ancient walls, hand-built in local brown slate, hold gravity at bay. The quiet landscape is punctuated with ridgetop clusters of whitewashed houses and port wine estates called 'quintas.'

Several factors, producers say, make this a singular place: it has weather extremes, with summer bringing heat well above 30 degrees Celsius and winter bringing snow and ice; grape varieties such as Touriga nacional, Tinta roriz and Barroca are unique to Portugal; the poor, bone-dry soil means fewer grapes but a high concentration of sugar; and the slopes, up to 600 metres (2,000 feet) high, offer varying angles of exposure to the sun.

Tractors and trucks have replaced the mules and oxen of yore, but plenty has remained unchanged - including grape-treading in a knee-high granite tank called a 'lagar,' which remains common.

Port is the queen of Portuguese wines. A bottle of 19th-century vintage port, which is the top of the range, can fetch more than 3,000 euros (3,500 US dollars) at auction.

It is a fortified wine, made by adding grape spirit to halt the fermentation and keep the grapes' natural sweetness. It allows wine makers to produce deep, delicately textured wines admired around the world.

It is an ironic twist of Brexit that Britishness runs through the history of Portugal's port wine trade like marbling.

The port business was largely created by, and flourished because of, the British. The port companies, or 'houses,' are called Taylor's, Croft's, Churchill's, Warre's, Sandeman, and Symington, among others.

Taylor's, for example, was established in the Douro Valley in 1744 by Bartholomew Bearsley. After him came, among other bosses, Joseph Taylor, John Fladgate, Frank Yeatman and Alistair Robertson, whose son-in-law Adrian Bridge is now the Managing Director.

Bridge's office is in Vila Nova da Gaia, on the coast by the city of Porto, where the port companies have traditionally brought their wines for aging and shipping.

Standing amid hundreds of centuries-old barrels piled in rows in a musky cellar with granite walls and a wooden roof, Bridge notes that Brexit is already hurting business as the British pound's drop in value against the euro has pushed up port's price on UK shelves.

Taylor's sells port to 105 countries around the world, but Britain is far and away the most important he says, though plans are afoot to expand port's presence in other markets.

He adds, with typical British understatement, that he expects Brexit to "require some degree of readjustment."

Raymond Reynolds, owner of Raymond Reynolds Ltd, a specialist UK Wine importer is not too worried about geographical denominations, which he believes are superceded by historic links between suppliers and buyers.

"They are trusted in terms of their quality and through to retailers and consumers that works as well," he says, adding "the only problem with Brexit is the uncertainty."

Britain and the EU have not yet finalised their divorce agreement, stirring fears among businesses of disruption to trade.

Douro Valley, Portugal - 12 September, 2018

1. Pan of Douro River near Pinhao, Douro Valley

2. Wide of slope with green vines

3. Mid of Ferreira port wine slope

4. Mid of Alves de Sousa port wine slope

5. Wide of protected landscape with sign

6. Close of sign reading (Portuguese) "Douro Wine Valley, World Heritage"

7. Change of focus from slope to vine leaf

8. Workers arriving to harvest

9. Tilt up from bucket to workers going up the hill

10. Close of bucket with grapes

11. Mid of workers

12. Close of worker cutting vines

13. Close of bucket filled with grapes

14. Tilt down from sun to workers walking

15. Set up shot for Jose Pereira, foreman of Rozes port wine producer

16. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Jose Pereira, foreman of Rozes port wine producer:

"If it wasn't for wine there would be a crisis, both for our employers and for us. Without the wine the Douro region would be on its knees. Wine is our wealth."

17. Tractor carrying grapes up hill

18. Wide of Quinta da Gricha entrance

19. Workers receiving and processing grapes from the harvest for Churchill's port wine production house

20. Various of grapes being processed

21. Tilt down of Rozes wine barrels

22. Wide of old bottles of port wine

23. Change of focus between vintage port wine bottles

24. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luciano Madureira, oenologist, Rozes port wine production:

"Port wine is good because it's from here, from this region. This is a unique region, where people are very important, the climate, the soil – which is not very rich, eager to produce more but that can't give more than what it already gives. We are in the mountains so what we do is always in small scale but with extraordinary quality."

Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal - 11 September, 2018

25. Entrance to Taylor's port wine cellars house

26. Close of Taylor's symbol

27. Wide of wine barrels at cellar

28. Set up shots for Taylor's managing director Adrian Bridge

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Bridge, Managing Director, Taylor's port wine house:

"Well, I think that clearly when we are selling a product like Port - which we have done for hundreds of years – we have seen many disruptions, of war and pestilence over the centuries and perhaps if one puts the context of Brexit in these terms of an unfortunate blip that may cause some problems and probably requires some degree of readjustment, I think that would be fair."

30. Wide of royal warrant of appointment

31. Close of royal warrant of appointment reading (English) "By appointment to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II suppliers of Port Wine, Taylor's Port Portugal"

London, UK - 14 September, 2018

32. Various set up shots of Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London:

"I don't think the Europeans will accept, the EU will accept a Brexit deal which does not protect feta cheese, Parmesan cheese or champagne wine also because the entire final Brexit deal will need to be ratified by national parliaments, 27 national parliaments. Can we imagine the Greek parliament or the Italian parliament or the French parliament having to ratify a final Brexit deal that does not strongly protect feta, parmesan or champagne? It will be difficult. That's why a deadlock on this issue could jeopardize the entire Brexit deal."

London, UK - 19 September, 2018

34. Wide shot of the Raymond Reynolds stall at "The Dirty Dozen" wine and spirits tasting event in Glazier Hall, London

35. Attendee tasting a wine

36. Pan up from bottles of Niepoort port wine to wine tasters

37. Close up of wine being poured

38. Shot of Raymond Reynolds pouring some Niepoort Bioma port

39. Cutaway corks

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raymond Reynolds, Owner of Raymond Reynolds Ltd, a specialist UK Wine importer:

"I don't have any fear in that sense (of Geographical Identification ending after Brexit) because you know your sources of supply, we work with our growers, there is a historic link. They are trusted in terms of their quality and through to retailers and consumers that works as well so the only problem with Brexit is the uncertainty."

41. Tilt up of bottle of port

42. Various of Raymond Reynolds with customers

LEAD IN:

With Brexit uncertainty and US sanctions hitting the industry, it's a tough time for Spanish wine makers.

But while many fear the UK and US import markets could collapse, they are also turning their attentions to the east and growing markets in Asia - where wine is increasingly becoming a favoured tipple.

STORY-LINE:

Over 2,000 different Spanish wines are being uncorked, poured, sniffed, swirled and tasted at Madrid's two-day International Wine Fair.

But despite the constant clink of glasses, the Spanish wine industry is going through a period of deep uncertainty due to Brexit and new US sanctions that are hitting the industry hard.

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?'" says Beatriz Garcia, commercial director of AvanteSelecta winery.

"There is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

AvanteSelecta is Spain´s leading wine group, producing over 2.5 million bottles annually with strong commercial relationships with the US and UK.

In the continued absence of an exit deal between the UK and the EU, the threat of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal still looms.

That spells bad news for the Spanish wine market that relies heavily on UK consumption.

According to data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OEMV), the UK counts for a third of all international sales of Rioja.

As a whole, the export market to the UK is worth 333 million euros.

Alberto Saldon is from the Zamora Company winery that owns La Rioja based wine producers Ramon Bilbao.  

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs," he says.

"For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

The fizz is also waning in the Catalan region, famous for its sparkling white wine Cava.

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good," says Toni De la Rosa Torello, the director of Torello winery.

"The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically.

"In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

But Spanish producers have been trying to take some steps to soften the blow of Brexit if and when it falls.

At the beginning of 2019, in order to ensure that British lovers of Spanish wine do not run out, many producers increased their stock of bottles in the UK.

Winemakers are also taking advice on the prospect of having to change labelling and how to deal with a potential collapse of the British pound.

In addition, exporters are working with the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) that is talking to other EU wine associations about getting an agreement with the UK government on tariffs, certificates of origin and labelling.

"These uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view," says the general manager of the FEV, José Luis Benitez.

"More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need.

"We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

At the same time, Spain is among the four countries affected by new U.S. tariffs on European food, wine and other goods in response to illegal EU subsidies to plane maker Airbus.

The U.S. put tariffs worth $7.5 billion on EU goods like wine, cheese and olive oil, following a green light from the World Trade Organisation in a case involving illegal EU subsidies for Airbus.

The tariffs, which took effect on October 18, are ten percent for EU aircraft and 25 percent for everything else.

Spanish wine (fresh grapes, not sparkling), in less than two-litre bottles with less than 14 percent alcohol content, are target for a 25 percent duty.

In 2018, Spain exported 90 million litres of wine to the United States worth 325 million euros, according to the OEMV.

"Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality," explains Adolfo Gatell, general manager of the Peñin Spanish wines guide.

"On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help.

"So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

But there is still reason to celebrate.

Faced with this economic scenario, Spanish wineries are looking for solutions in other markets.

Thanks to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), many wineries are knocking on doors in Canada and Japan.

Asia - particularly China, Hong Kong and South Korea - are also hot tickets for Spanish producers.

With a middle-class increasingly thirsty for reds, whites and bubbly, Spanish wine producers are pinning hopes on the China market.

Torres Sangre de Toro is one of the biggest foreign wines in China.

According to OEMV figures, in 2018, Spain exported 81 million litres of wine to China, worth 156 million euros.

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

1. Close of man sniffing and swirling glass of wine and drinking it

2. Mid of two women laughing while clinking glasses and drinking wine

3. Close of women swirling glasses of white wine

4. Mid of a man uncorking bottle of wine

5. Close of man pouring red wine into glass

6. Mid of two Asian men sniffing, swirling and tasting wine

7. Close of woman sniffing and tasting wine

8. Wide of wine fair floor

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Beatriz Garcia, Commercial Director of AvanteSelecta wine group:

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?' So, there is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

10. Tilt up of man uncorking bottle of wine

11. Wide of man pouring Rioja wine for visitors

12. Mid of visitors tasting Rioja wine

13. Close of man swirling glass of red wine

14. Close of glass of red wine being contrasted against white tablecloth

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alberto Saldon, Spokesperson for Zamora Company winery:

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs. For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

16. Close of bottle of sparkling white wine known as Cava being uncorked

17. Close sparkling white wine known as Cava being poured

18. Mid of two men tasting Cava in front of bottles

19. Tilt up from glass of sparkling white wine known as Cava to woman smiling and clinking glass

20. Various of Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery, pouring and tasting sparkling wine

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery:

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good. The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically. In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

22. Close of white wine being swirled in wine glass

23. Close of man tasting and drinking white wine

24. Wide of wine tasting room

25. Close of man sniffing two different wines

26. Mid of visitors tasting rose wine

27. Close of man swirling glass of rose wine, sniffing it and tasting it

Madrid, Spain - 23 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José Luis Benitez, General Manager, Spanish Wine Federation (FEV):

"Actually, these uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view. More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need. We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

FILE: Mezalocha, Spain - 7 May 2018

29. Various aerial shots of vineyards of Pago Ayles Winery

30. Wide of workers cleaning vineyard in preparation for grape growing season

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

31. Close of red wine being poured into glasses

32. Mid of wine tasting room

33. Close of 2020 Peñin guidebook

34. Wide of wine fair floor

35. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Adolfo Gatell, General Manager, Peñin guide:

"The situation between what could happen with the United States and Brexit is much different. Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality. On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help. So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

36. Mid of Asian men tasting wine

37. Close of Asian men tasting wine

38. Wide of two Asian women tasting wine

39. Close of Asian man taking picture of red wine

40. Zoom out from close of glasses clinking to wide of men drinking wine

LEAD IN:

With Brexit uncertainty and US sanctions hitting the industry, it's a tough time for Spanish wine makers.

But while many fear the UK and US import markets could collapse, they are also turning their attentions to the east and growing markets in Asia - where wine is increasingly becoming a favoured tipple.

STORY-LINE:

Over 2,000 different Spanish wines are being uncorked, poured, sniffed, swirled and tasted at Madrid's two-day International Wine Fair.

But despite the constant clink of glasses, the Spanish wine industry is going through a period of deep uncertainty due to Brexit and new US sanctions that are hitting the industry hard.

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?'" says Beatriz Garcia, commercial director of AvanteSelecta winery.

"There is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

AvanteSelecta is Spain´s leading wine group, producing over 2.5 million bottles annually with strong commercial relationships with the US and UK.

In the continued absence of an exit deal between the UK and the EU, the threat of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal still looms.

That spells bad news for the Spanish wine market that relies heavily on UK consumption.

According to data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OEMV), the UK counts for a third of all international sales of Rioja.

As a whole, the export market to the UK is worth 333 million euros.

Alberto Saldon is from the Zamora Company winery that owns La Rioja based wine producers Ramon Bilbao.  

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs," he says.

"For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

The fizz is also waning in the Catalan region, famous for its sparkling white wine Cava.

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good," says Toni De la Rosa Torello, the director of Torello winery.

"The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically.

"In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

But Spanish producers have been trying to take some steps to soften the blow of Brexit if and when it falls.

At the beginning of 2019, in order to ensure that British lovers of Spanish wine do not run out, many producers increased their stock of bottles in the UK.

Winemakers are also taking advice on the prospect of having to change labelling and how to deal with a potential collapse of the British pound.

In addition, exporters are working with the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) that is talking to other EU wine associations about getting an agreement with the UK government on tariffs, certificates of origin and labelling.

"These uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view," says the general manager of the FEV, José Luis Benitez.

"More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need.

"We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

At the same time, Spain is among the four countries affected by new U.S. tariffs on European food, wine and other goods in response to illegal EU subsidies to plane maker Airbus.

The U.S. put tariffs worth $7.5 billion on EU goods like wine, cheese and olive oil, following a green light from the World Trade Organisation in a case involving illegal EU subsidies for Airbus.

The tariffs, which took effect on October 18, are ten percent for EU aircraft and 25 percent for everything else.

Spanish wine (fresh grapes, not sparkling), in less than two-litre bottles with less than 14 percent alcohol content, are target for a 25 percent duty.

In 2018, Spain exported 90 million litres of wine to the United States worth 325 million euros, according to the OEMV.

"Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality," explains Adolfo Gatell, general manager of the Peñin Spanish wines guide.

"On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help.

"So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

But there is still reason to celebrate.

Faced with this economic scenario, Spanish wineries are looking for solutions in other markets.

Thanks to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), many wineries are knocking on doors in Canada and Japan.

Asia - particularly China, Hong Kong and South Korea - are also hot tickets for Spanish producers.

With a middle-class increasingly thirsty for reds, whites and bubbly, Spanish wine producers are pinning hopes on the China market.

Torres Sangre de Toro is one of the biggest foreign wines in China.

According to OEMV figures, in 2018, Spain exported 81 million litres of wine to China, worth 156 million euros.

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

1. Close of man sniffing and swirling glass of wine and drinking it

2. Mid of two women laughing while clinking glasses and drinking wine

3. Close of women swirling glasses of white wine

4. Mid of a man uncorking bottle of wine

5. Close of man pouring red wine into glass

6. Mid of two Asian men sniffing, swirling and tasting wine

7. Close of woman sniffing and tasting wine

8. Wide of wine fair floor

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Beatriz Garcia, Commercial Director of AvanteSelecta wine group:

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?' So, there is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

10. Tilt up of man uncorking bottle of wine

11. Wide of man pouring Rioja wine for visitors

12. Mid of visitors tasting Rioja wine

13. Close of man swirling glass of red wine

14. Close of glass of red wine being contrasted against white tablecloth

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alberto Saldon, Spokesperson for Zamora Company winery:

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs. For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

16. Close of bottle of sparkling white wine known as Cava being uncorked

17. Close sparkling white wine known as Cava being poured

18. Mid of two men tasting Cava in front of bottles

19. Tilt up from glass of sparkling white wine known as Cava to woman smiling and clinking glass

20. Various of Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery, pouring and tasting sparkling wine

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery:

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good. The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically. In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

22. Close of white wine being swirled in wine glass

23. Close of man tasting and drinking white wine

24. Wide of wine tasting room

25. Close of man sniffing two different wines

26. Mid of visitors tasting rose wine

27. Close of man swirling glass of rose wine, sniffing it and tasting it

Madrid, Spain - 23 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José Luis Benitez, General Manager, Spanish Wine Federation (FEV):

"Actually, these uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view. More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need. We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

FILE: Mezalocha, Spain - 7 May 2018

29. Various aerial shots of vineyards of Pago Ayles Winery

30. Wide of workers cleaning vineyard in preparation for grape growing season

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

31. Close of red wine being poured into glasses

32. Mid of wine tasting room

33. Close of 2020 Peñin guidebook

34. Wide of wine fair floor

35. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Adolfo Gatell, General Manager, Peñin guide:

"The situation between what could happen with the United States and Brexit is much different. Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality. On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help. So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

36. Mid of Asian men tasting wine

37. Close of Asian men tasting wine

38. Wide of two Asian women tasting wine

39. Close of Asian man taking picture of red wine

40. Zoom out from close of glasses clinking to wide of men drinking wine