For over 30 years, the name João Portugal Ramos has been associated with the finest Portuguese wines. Initially, as an experienced consulting winemaker for renowned wine brands, and since 1992, as a producer and bottler. The Alentejo region was the first chosen to produce its initial wines, and its activity later expanded to Ribatejo. In 2007, a project in the Douro region emerged.
João Portugal Ramos, undoubtedly one of the most recognized Portuguese winemakers, lends his name to the João Portugal Ramos Vinhos Group (JPRV), which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022. Currently, this group produces and exports approximately 60% of its wines to international markets, including Poland, Sweden, the United States, Brazil, China, Angola, Belgium, and Canada, among others.
Today, their internationally award-winning wine brands originate from regions as distinct as Alentejo, Douro, Beiras, and the demarcated region of Vinhos Verdes, seeking to give a global face and prominence to all wines. Their most emblematic brands are Marquês de Borba and Duorum. Before founding JPRV, João Portugal Ramos was a consulting winemaker for several wineries in the country, having had a significant influence on how the sector evolved in terms of quality and international recognition. Today, the group is a driver of economic and viticultural development and is present all over the world, introducing the splendid Portuguese wines it produces.
One of the wines that has stood out is the João Portugal Ramos Alvarinho Reserva Espumante Bruto Natural 2016. In 2012, João Portugal Ramos had chosen the Monção and Melgaço sub-region in the Vinhos Verdes region for a new project where the terroir would allow him to produce these elegant and seductive wines that have seen increasing demand, both nationally and internationally. This was the first Bruto Natural Reserve Sparkling produced in the region. The grapes were harvested by hand and gently pressed upon arrival at the winery. After static settling for clarification, alcoholic fermentation took place at around 15°C, resulting in the base sparkling wine. Fifteen percent of the blend fermented in three- and four-year-old French oak barrels, where it remained on lees for eight months. After tartaric stabilization of the base wine, it underwent tirage for the second fermentation in the bottle (traditional champagne method). The bottle aging on the lees from the second fermentation lasted for approximately twenty months. With a fine and persistent effervescence, it presents itself as very elegant and harmonious, with a long finish marked by the typical minerality of the grape variety from which it originated.
