Ramos Pinto Port Wine
In 1880, Adriano Ramos Pinto, a 21 year old artist from Porto, decided to start a port wine company. In 1896, his brother António, a photographer, joined him in his business venture. They decided to expand into the Brazilian market and by the 1920s they exported half of the production. Their artistic knowledge must have played an important role in their choice of daring advertising images of unusual quality, signed by both Portuguese and foreign artists – and no other Port wine brand can compete with this heritage. With nearly 900 acres in the Douro region (the oldest protected designation of origin in the world, created in 1756 by Marquês do Pombal), Ramos Pinto grows the grapes for its wines, signed by renowned oenologist João Nicolau de Almeida: White Port, Ruby and Tawny, to savour as an aperitif or digestif. The cellars and offices remain intact with the 1930s spirit (though they have been part of the Roederer group since 1990) and are reason enough to visit the Vila Nova de Gaia quay – which, in an homage to these wine artists, has been named Ramos Pinto Avenue.