João Portugal Ramos

Born into a family with a long history of wine production, João Portugal Ramos obtained a degree in agronomy from the Superior Institute of Agronomy in Lisbon and trained at the National Viticulture Studies Centre in Dois Portos. In 1980 he began his career as an oenologist in the Alentejo, and at the end of the 1980s he established the winemaking consultancy Consulvinus, which from 1989 extended its work beyond the Alentejo to Tejo, Península de Setúbal, Dão, Beiras and Lisboa. He started his own project in 1989 by planting the first 5 hectares of vineyard in Estremoz, where he has lived since 1988. The first harvest dates from 1992; the wine was made in rented buildings until 1997, when the vinification took place in the new estate for the first time, and Vila Santa was the group's first brand. João Portugal Ramos is the winemaker and founder of the João Portugal Ramos Group, a family business in which two of his five children, João Maria and Filipa, work alongside him. In 2016 the group acquired the centenary CR&F (Carvalho Ribeiro & Ferreira) brandy brand, extending its wine, olive oil and vinegar portfolio to brandy.

• 1980: begins his career as an oenologist in the Alentejo
• End of the 1980s: establishes the winemaking consultancy Consulvinus
• 1989: plants the first 5 hectares of vineyard in Estremoz
• 1992: first harvest, and the first brand, Vila Santa
• 1997: construction of the Vila Santa winery begins and the first Marquês de Borba Reserva is made
• 2016: acquisition of the CR&F brandy brand

João Portugal Ramos is the winemaker and founder of the group. Donzilia Copeto is winemaker and production director of the group, João Maria Portugal Ramos is a winemaker, Filipa Portugal Ramos is marketing director, João Perry Vidal is viticulture manager of Quinta de Foz de Arouce and Duorum, and Marco Laranjo is the Alentejo's viticulture director. João Maria, João Portugal Ramos' son, joined the Alentejo oenology and production team with the 2014 harvest, and in 2015 he and his father launched the Pouca Roupa brand.

• João Portugal Ramos: winemaker and founder of the João Portugal Ramos Group
• Donzilia Copeto: winemaker and production director of the group
• João Maria Portugal Ramos: winemaker; joined the Alentejo team with the 2014 harvest
• Filipa Portugal Ramos: marketing director
• João Perry Vidal: viticulture manager of Quinta de Foz de Arouce and Duorum; Marco Laranjo: Alentejo viticulture director

The group works in four Portuguese regions: Alentejo, Beiras, Douro and Vinhos Verdes. In the Alentejo it is based at the Vila Santa winery in Estremoz, in the Borba sub-region, where at 350 to 400 metres the cool nights preserve acidity. In Beiras, Quinta de Foz de Arouce lies in Lousã, crossed by the Arouce and Ceira rivers and surrounded by the mountains of Lousã and Penela; its owners are the Counts of Foz de Arouce, João Portugal Ramos' in-laws, and documents kept at the quinta record the family's ownership since the 18th century. He was for many years the winemaker responsible for producing and distributing their wines before Quinta de Foz de Arouce officially became part of the group in 2005. In the Douro, Duorum began in 2007 as a project of João Portugal Ramos and José Maria Soares Franco; the name is a Latin expression meaning 'from two'. One of Duorum's properties, Quinta de Castelo Melhor, lies partly within two Natura 2000 conservation areas. A new project in the Vinho Verde region began in 2010. João Portugal Ramos chose the Monção and Melgaço sub-region, in the Vinho Verde region, for a new project. A winery in the Vinho Verde region was built in 2013, when the first João Portugal Ramos Alvarinho was released. In 2024 the group moved its Vinhos Verdes operation from Monção and Melgaço to Ponte de Lima through a partnership with the Portela family, with a focus on the Loureiro grape.

• Alentejo: Vila Santa winery, Estremoz, the group's head office
• Beiras: Quinta de Foz de Arouce, Lousã, part of the group from 2005
• Douro: Duorum, with José Maria Soares Franco, from 2007; Quinta de Castelo Melhor
• Vinhos Verdes: project from 2010; first Alvarinho in 2013; operation moved to Ponte de Lima in 2024
• 600 hectares in total from own vineyards and long-term agreements with local producers

In all four regions grapes are picked early in the morning, most of them by hand into 15 kg cases, with a first selection in the vineyard and a second selection of bunches on a sorting table at the winery. Harvest typically begins in the Alentejo in early August and ends in the Douro by mid-October. Red grapes get long macerations with temperature control, and most of the red wines are fermented in marble lagares, with fermentation finished in oak barrels or in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats depending on the wine. The wines age in small 300-litre barrels of French, American and Hungarian oak, and the wines of all four regions are bottled at the Vila Santa winery in Estremoz. In 2017 the group expanded its cellar and storage capacity.

• Most grapes picked by hand into 15 kg cases, with selection in the vineyard and again on a sorting table
• Most red wines fermented in marble lagares; fermentation finished in oak barrels or temperature-controlled stainless steel vats
• Ageing in 300-litre barrels of French, American and Hungarian oak
• 2017: Vila Santa enlarged for the third time, with six new marble lagares so that more red wines can be foot trodden

All of the group's vineyards are certified for integrated or biological production. The company reuses 100% of the stems from vinification, along with material from pruning, to fertilize its soils, and uses 420 g light glass bottles for 61% of its production. Drip irrigation supported by weather stations and specialized software manages water use, especially in the Alentejo. The group has been part of the European Business & Biodiversity Initiative since 2012.

• Vineyards certified for integrated or biological production
• Stems and pruning material reused to fertilize the soils
• Member of the European Business & Biodiversity Initiative since 2012

Marquês de Borba, made since the first vintage in 1997, takes its name from the location of João Portugal Ramos' vineyards and winery in the Borba sub-region and from one of his uncles, who held the noble title Marquês de Borba, a title created in 1811. The first Marquês de Borba Reserva was made in 1997, and the Colheita followed the next year. Vila Santa, from the first harvest in 1992, was the group's first brand. Loios takes its name from the Loios, the title given in the 15th century to the members of the Priest Congregation of St. John Evangelist, and is made from traditional Alentejo grape varieties. Estremus is a limited edition in numbered bottles from a vineyard in the shadow of the Castle of Estremoz. Pouca Roupa, created by João Maria Ramos, takes its name from the estate where its vineyards are planted. In the Douro, Duorum makes reds and whites, and the Beiras and Vinhos Verdes ranges carry the Quinta de Foz de Arouce and João Portugal Ramos names.

• Marquês de Borba Reserva: Trincadeira, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon from schist; foot trodden in marble lagares; 18 months in small new French oak barrels
• Marquês de Borba Colheita Red: Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot and Merlot; six months in second- and third-year French and American oak
• Marquês de Borba Vinhas Velhas Red: Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Castelão and Syrah; foot trodden for 4 to 5 days; 12 months in second- and third-year American and French oak
• Vila Santa Reserva Red: Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon from the organic vineyard; 12 months in first- and second-year American and French oak
• João Portugal Ramos Estremus: Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira from limestone with marble at the surface; four days in lagares; 18 months in small French oak barrels
• Loios Red: Aragonez, Trincadeira and other varieties, fermented in stainless steel
• Duorum Colheita Red: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Sousão from schist; 12 months in 225- and 300-litre French oak barrels, 30% new
• Quinta de Foz de Arouce Red and Quinta de Foz de Arouce Vinhas Velhas de Santa Maria (Beiras); João Portugal Ramos Alvarinho and Loureiro & Alvarinho Vinhas do Cardido (Vinhos Verdes)

João Portugal Ramos puts his approach in his own words: 'Rarely is a good wine the result of chance. My experience as winemaker has taught me that a wine reflects the nature of the earth from which it is born and of those who produce it.' Writing in Decanter in 2021, Sarah Ahmed found his reds smooth, fruity and harmoniously balanced, chasing ripeness without jamminess. In Decanter's Alentejo travel guide, she placed him among the modern pioneers of the 1990s, with Herdade do Esporão and Cortes de Cima, who created fruit-forward wines with broader appeal. In his single-vineyard range, she found that the pure limestone of Estremus imparts elegance, with soft tannins, while schist soils bring more power to Vinha do Jeremias.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/history/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/team/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/winemaking/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/sustainability/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/marques-de-borba/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/marques-de-borba-reserva/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/marques-de-borba-colheita-red/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/marques-de-borba-vinhas-velhas-red/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/vila-santa-reserva-red/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/loios/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/loios-red/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/estremus/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/joao-portugal-ramos-estremus/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/duorum/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/duorum-colheita-red/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/quinta-de-foz-de-arouce-29/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/joao-portugal-ramos-vinhos-verdes/, https://www.jportugalramos.com/en/pouca-roupa/. Secondary sources: Decanter (Sarah Ahmed, last updated 28 September 2015), https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/spain-portugal/decanter-travel-guide-alentejo-portugal-29772/, and Decanter (Sarah Ahmed, published 2 January 2021), https://www.decanter.com/premium/alentejo-regional-profile-plus-top-wines-worth-seeking-out-450520/. Last verified 2026-10-21. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.