Portugal

Sogrape Distribuição, S.A.

Sogrape Vinhos, S.A.

United States of America

Evaton Inc.

Argentina

Finca Flichman, S.A.

Chile

Viña Los Boldos

England

Liberty Wines

Spain

Bodegas LAN, S.A.

Angola

VINUS –Distribuição de Vinhos e Bebidas, Lda.

China

Sogrape Asia-Pacific

New Zealand

Framingham Wines LTD

World Map Sogrape

Sogrape in the World

Employees

Portugal ranking

Total brands

Total hectares

All Markets

Wine regions

Wineries

Estates

Varieties

Bottles

For the Guedes family, more than business, wine represents a way of being and living. From one man’s dream, a legacy was built and renewed with each passing generation. The boldness and vision of Fernando van Zeller Guedes was the inspiration for each successor to enthusiastically continue this journey... while always leaving their legacy along the way!

Founding Family

Close to wine production and culture since early days, his fate was practically determined. Fernando van Zeller Guedes created Sogrape in 1942 with a new wine highly innovative for its time, Mateus Rose. A man ahead of his time, a dreamer and a natural born communicator, Fernando van Zeller Guedes was the company’s heart and soul for more than 40 years.

Fernando Van Zeller Guedes

The founder’s son, he started out at Sogrape as an apprentice cooper. After finishing his studies in France, however, he quickly took over the reins of the family business. Fernando Guedes was the main person responsible for diversifying the company in Portugal and by consolidating and expanding its assets. A man of solid values, for whom wine was life.

Fernando Guedes

The first person at the helm from the third generation, Salvador Guedes is the son of Fernando Guedes, who has spent more than 30 years at Sogrape. The company’s international expansion  was his main achievement, with the group growing exponentially under his leadership and becoming truly global.

Salvador da Cunha Guedes

Bearing the same name as his father and grandfather, Fernando da Cunha Guedes, brother of Salvador Guedes, is the current President of Sogrape. His biggest challenge is to combine a family approach with a peak-performance team culture and the first step in achieving this goal has already been taken by finding the company’s purpose: To bring Friendship & Happiness to everyone we touch through our wonderful wines.

Fernando da Cunha Guedes

Fernando van Zeller Guedes and 15 friends co-found "Sociedade Comercial dos Vinhos de Mesa de Portugal", now Sogrape. Mateus is born.

77 years with several growth waves

First partnership with a wine distributor in Brazil, thus beginning the internationalisation process that gave rise to the Mateus commercial phenomenon.

First partnership in Brasil

Fernando Guedes, the founder's first-born son, begins working at Sogrape at the age of 22 as an apprentice cooper.

Fernando Guedes began working at Sogrape

After returning from France with a degree in Oenology from the University of Dijon's (now University of Burgundy) Faculty of Science, Fernando Guedes becomes Sogrape's Technical Manager.

Fernando Guedes became Sogrape's Technical Manager

Sogrape establishes itself in what would later become the Demarcated Region of Dão — a crucial step in consolidating brands that are benchmarks in Portugal to this day: Grão Vasco and Duque de Viseu.

Arrival of Sogrape in the future Demarcated Region of Dão

 Construction of Sogrape's first winery in Quinta do Cavernelho, parish of Mateus, in Vila Real. The facility has a winemaking capacity of 9 million litres.

Construction of Sogrape's first winery

The internationalisation of the business and the extraordinary growth in sales of Mateus prompt Sogrape to move its headquarters to Avintes, Vila Nova de Gaia. At this time, it has a storage capacity of 19 million litres and 6 modern bottling lines, achieving a production output of 200,000 bottles per day.

New headquarters of Sogrape in Avintes

Construction of the Anadia winery in the Region of Bairrada, one of the most sophisticated winemaking hubs in Europe at the time. Soon after completion, production of Mateus is moved to this location.

Construction of the Anadia winery

Salvador Guedes, the eldest grandson of the company's founder, joins Sogrape's Marketing department.

Salvador Guedes joined Sogrape's Marketing department

Acquisition of Quinta de Azevedo and its Solar (Manor) in Lama, Barcelos, thus ensuring an excellent strategic presence in the Vinho Verde Region.

Acquisition of Quinta de Azevedo and its Solar

The brand Gazela is created and launched on the market as a “pedigree Vinho Verde", seeking to reinforce values of freshness and lightness.

Creation of Gazela brand

Sogrape makes its return to the Douro by acquiring the renowned A. A. Ferreira S.A., marking the company's entry into the Port Wine sector. As a result, the magnificent Douro DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines from Casa Ferreirinha come into the Sogrape fold. Fernando Guedes becomes Chairman of Sogrape.  

Acquiring the renowned A. A. Ferreira S.A.

Investment in the Dão Region is consolidated with the acquisition of Quinta dos Carvalhais and the construction of the new winery within a record period of nine months. This project makes significant, pioneering inroads into modern vitiviniculture in the Dão.

Acquisition of Quinta dos Carvalhais

Sogrape Distribuição is established to streamline the domestic market. Sogrape now has its own company distributing its own wines exclusively in the Portuguese market.

Creation of Sogrape Distribuição

Sogrape incorporates Forrester & Ca. S.A., owner of the Offley brand, thus securing Sogrape’s leadership within the Port Wine segment and its positioning as one of the leading export companies in the wine sector. 

Sogrape incorporated Forrester & Ca. S.A.

Acquisition of Herdade do Peso, Vidigueira, in the Alentejo Region, completing a cycle which began in 1991, when a brand with growing recognition in that region was launched: Vinha do Monte. 1997 was also marked by Sogrape's arrival in the "New World", with its acquisition of Finca Flichman located in the Mendonza Region of Argentina, which gives further impetus to Sogrape's international strategic vision.

Acquisition of Herdade do Peso and Finca Flichman

Salvador Guedes becomes Sogrape's CEO in the same year that the company acquires Evaton Inc. and creates its own distribution structure for the U.S. market.

Salvador Guedes became Sogrape's CEO and the company acquired Evaton Inc.

Quinta da Leda, acquired in 1979, receives a new winery representing a whole new oenological challenge to the Douro Region, since this is where top-quality Douro DOC Wines are produced, with a special mention to the legendary Barca Velha.  

New winery at Quinta da Leda

Sogrape consolidates its international strategy and its presence in the Port Wine sector by acquiring the Sandeman brand – Port, Sherry and Brandy. 

Aquisition of Sandeman brand

Vinus Lda. is established — Sogrape's own distribution company based in Angola, with the objective of consolidating the company's portfolio in that market.

Vinus Lda. is establish

Acquisition of Framingham Wines in Marlborough, New Zealand, thus reinforcing Sogrape's position on the international stage and expanding its range of wines to the New World.

Acquisition of Framingham Wines

Sogrape consolidates its expansion into the world’s most prominent vitivinicultural countries by acquiring Viña Los Boldos in Chile, operating in the Requínoa Region. Sogrape Asia-Pacific — Sogrape's own distribution company in China — is established.

Sogrape acquire Viña Los Boldos

Sogrape Vinhos receives the *"European Winery of the Year"* award from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The fourth generation of the Guedes Family starts working at Sogrape, with Mafalda, the founder's great-granddaughter, joining the Sogrape Vinhos marketing team.

The fourth generation of the Guedes Family started working at Sogrape

Acquisition of Stevens Garnier, a distribution company in the historically well-established market of the United Kingdom. Sogrape inaugurates its own marketing and distribution offices in São Paulo, Brazil, which later develops into the distribution company Sogrape Brasil (2013).

Acquisition of Stevens Garnier and inauguration of distribution offices in Brazil

Acquisition of Bodegas LAN in Spain — a reference vitivinicultural unit that, besides its main operation in the famous Rioja Region, also incorporates the renowned Santiago Ruiz brand, in Rías Baixas, and has a presence in the Rueda and Ribera del Duero Regions.

Acquisition of Bodegas LAN

Fernando da Cunha Guedes succeeds his brother, Salvador Guedes, as Sogrape's CEO. The World Association of Writers and Journalists of Wines and Spirits ranks Sogrape Vinhos as 1st in the Top 100 Wineries of the World.

Fernando da Cunha Guedes became Sogrape's CEO

Sogrape Vinhos is voted 1st in the Top 100 Wineries of the World ranking by the World Association of Writers and Journalists of Wines and Spirits, for the second consecutive year.

Sogrape Vinhos is voted 1st Winerie of the World

Following the strategic partnership that began in 2017, Sogrape acquired a minority position in Liberty Wines, one of the most important and renowned wine distribution companies in the UK.

Sogrape acquired a minority position in Liberty Wines

Reinforcement of Sogrape's position in Spain through the acquisition of Bodegas Aura in the Rueda Region, in line with its strategic focus on wines of Iberian origin. Acquisition of Quinta do Centro, in the Portalegre subregion, Alentejo, following a desire to assume a greater presence in the Alentejo Region.

Aura vineyards

Acquisition of Bodegas Aura, Rueda

Sogrape enters the sub-region of Bucelas, in Lisbon, with the acquisition of the emblematic Quinta da Romeira, with 75 hectares of vineyard, the largest leaf of Arinto in the country. 

Acquisition of the famous Quinta da Romeira

Our brand portfolio is what makes us stand out. From Mateus to Barca-Velha, Sandeman and the Spanish brand LAN, we seek to innovate, to do things differently, to deliver aromas, flavours and emotion. To tell a story, provide an experience, leave behind a brand. And we have so many of them!

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