A story that spans generations.
Founded in 1920 by brothers José, Manuel, and Albano Costa, Caves São João is a family business that initially focused on the sale of fine wines from Douro and liqueurs. Today, it is the oldest family-owned company still in operation in the municipality of Anadia.
In the 1930s, with the prohibition of Port wine production outside of Vila Nova de Gaia, the company began marketing table wines from Bairrada. At that time, it also started producing natural sparkling wines using the “champenoise” method, with the important contribution of French winemaker Gaston Mennesson.
The company began exporting wines to the Brazilian market and shortly after to the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. By the end of the 1950s, one of the most famous wine brands in the Bairrada region was born – “Frei João” – followed a little later by a brand from the demarcated region of Dão, “Porta dos Cavaleiros.”
With the introduction of the “Reserva” designation pioneered by Caves São João, the company innovated in the wine market by using paper labels coated with natural cork.
Caves São João acquired Quinta do Poço do Lobo, a rustic property with about 37 hectares located in the small village of Pocariça in the municipality of Cantanhede. The estate was then completely replanted with selected and rigorously parcelled grape varieties.
Today, after some investments in winemaking and quality control, Caves São João is prepared to face future production challenges, always striving to keep pace with evolving markets and the tastes of increasingly discerning and attentive consumers.
