Cícero


In vino veritas est

The History of wine making has always been linked to the Great Civilizations of the World. Its first vestiges date back to Mesopotamia circa 6000 B.C. and Egypt 3000 years later. It crosses the Hellespont and soon becomes popular in Western Europe through the mission of Dionysus, one of the gods of the Greek Pantheon, who was responsible for revealing the art of wine making to Man. The Roman deity, Bacchus, took up the task during the expansion of the Roman Empire throughout Western Europe, where, upon reaching the Iberia, wine making soon became part of the habits and customs of the Iberians.

Portugal 's Golden Age as a wine producing country commenced during the Napoleonic Wars, when, deprived of French wines, the English soon discovered the virtues of the Douro Region wines, and later, Madeira Wine, and started large scale exportation.

In the Azorean archipelago the Verdelho Antigo wine from the Island of Pico quenched the thirst of many a Russian pirate for decades and graced the tables of the European aristocracy and Americans throughout the 19th Century. Other Azorean wines, such as the Vinho de Cheiro, also found their way far and wide over the ocean.

Today the full-bodied wines of the southern Dão Region and the sparkling northern "verde" wines are steadily gaining ground on the world wine market.

Although of indisputable quality, Portuguese wine products are in dire need of an efficient and dynamic international marketing policy in order for Portugal to consolidate its position amongst the major wine producing countries of the modern world.

This page aims to make a significant contribution to the diffusion and promotion of Portuguese Wines amongst all lovers of the Divine Nectar the world over! To this end, we request you to forward us any information you might have as well as any other relevant contribution you may wish to make!