Sogrape Vinhos

Sogrape Vinhos was born of the will and courage of a group of friends. In the difficult economic and political environment of 1942, they decided to stake everything on the visionary talents of one man. This man had the vision to create and develop an innovative wine company with a difference, one which could make and promote Portuguese wines on a global scale.

This vision belonged to Fernando van Zeller Guedes, whose character and forceful personality paved the way for a successful venture that many believed was doomed to fail from the outset. The unparalleled foresight and vision of Sogrape’s founder, resulted in the creation of the first global Portuguese wine brand - Mateus Rosé. Sold in over 120 countries, this proved to be such a resounding commercial success that it provided the decisive momentum for the growth as well as affirming the leadership of which the Company is so proud.

The willingness to innovate and the ambition to do things differently - along with respect for tradition and the values of ethics and responsibility - marked the birth of an organization that has proved capable of preserving its founder's vision and adapting to inevitably changing times.

 Today, led by the third generation of the founding family, Sogrape Vinhos is ever more closely dedicated to meeting the founding objective: to bring the world quality Portuguese wine brands, with sufficient volume to satisfy the needs of different market segments.

From the pioneering days of buying barrels of wine from small producers in the Douro for processing and bottling in a rented cellar in Vila Real, Sogrape Vinhos has steadily grown. Continuous investment has expanded and developed the company’s assets and workforce to such a degree that Sogrape Vinhos owns over 830 hectares of vineyards in all the key Portuguese wine regions.

Nowadays, the full scope of Sogrape Vinhos is clearly demonstrated by the breadth and weight of its portfolio. At first glance, what immediately stands out is the presence of two major global Portuguese wine brands - Mateus Rosé and Sandeman as well as the prestigious wines of Porto Ferreira and Offley. Added to which are the renowned specialist brands that represent the major Portugese wine regions. Beginning with the most famous Portuguese wine of all, Barca Velha, the pride of Casa Ferreirinha (Douro) and continuing with the elegant wines of Quinta dos Carvalhais (Dão), the vibrant Herdade do Peso (Alentejo), the fresh Vinhos Verdes of Quinta de Azevedo and Gazela, and the multi-regional Grão Vasco, to name but a few.

To tell the story of Sogrape Vinhos it is essential to retrace the origins and evolution of the plan conceived by this visionary man. And then to appreciate how his successors have inherited his values and pursued them with dedication, vigour and expertise to grow and develop Portugal’s leading wine company. Above all, the achievements of such a large team are promoted with pride and sustained by the ambition to innovate and enhance all that Sogrape Vinhos has to offer.

Vinhos Verdes

The Vinho Verde Region is the largest Portuguese wine region. Located in north-western Portugal, it is bordered to the north by the Minho, which separates Portugal from Spain’s Galicia, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the south by the mountainous area separating it from the Douro region.

Douro

This is one of the oldest Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) regions in Portugal’s wine growing history. Over 250 years old, it is located in north-eastern Portugal along the Douro River valley. This region is bordered by mountain ranges in the north, west, and south and by the border with Spain in the east.

Dão

The Dão Delimited Region was approved in 1908 and covers Planalto Beirão surrounded to the north by mountain ranges made up of the Nave, Montemuro and Lapa mountains, the South by the Serra do Buçaco, Açor and Lousã mountain ranges, and east by the Serra da Estrela (Portugal's highest, at almost 2,000m) and west by the Serra do Caramulo.

Bairrada

The Bairrada region is located in the northern-central Portuguese coastal strip. It is bordered to the north by the River Vouga, south by the Mondego River, east by the Caramulo Bussaco massif and west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Alentejo

The Delimited Region roughly coincides with the geographical area of the Alentejo, extending over 26,158 km2 .The total area is about 23,500 hectares, divided amongst some 4,000 owners, and there are eight sub-regions: Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Evora, Reguengos, Granja-Amareleja, Vidigueira and Moura.

Madeira

The archipelago is located in an area that lies between latitude 35º N to 45º N, longitude 17º W. The main island of the archipelago, Madeira, has a total area of 740 km2. The region’s total vine growing area is close to 400 hectares and the average plot size engaged in growing wine grapes is 0.3 hectares.

Jerez

The region where the Protected Designation of Origin "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" and "Manzanilla - Sanlúcar de Barrameda” wines are produced is located in the southernmost area of the Iberian Peninsula. Its boundaries are defined by the Guadalquivir River in the north, the Guadalete River in the south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

Sogrape Vinhos uses a quality system across the company that meets the high standards of accuracy required for the agri-food sector. Therefore, Sogrape Vinhos is certified not only by standard ISO 9001:2000 - Quality Management Systems, but also by demanding benchmarks "BRC - British Retail Consortium - Global Standard for Food Safety" IFS - International Food Standard - a standard for retailer and wholesaler-branded foods and products and ISO14001: 2004 - Environmental Management Systems. Among others it meets CE regulations No: 178/2002 - General principles and requirements of food law and 852/2004 - on the hygiene of foodstuffs (HACCP).

Sogrape Vinhos’ Quality System is a strategic tool for developing processes for continuous improvement and innovation, receiving support from appropriate technical resources and appropriately qualified human resources. Quality control operations are performed at all stages of the production process, from reception of the grapes used in winemaking, to the final product's packaging and shipping phases. Special attention is also paid to informing and explaining each product's specific characteristics to customer and consumer communities.