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De 1870 aos dias de hoje
The dream is born, at Quinta da Aveleda
Manoel Pedro Guedes becomes the rightful heir of Quinta da Aveleda, in 1870. At this time, the walls and the main gate of the Quinta were built, delimiting the entire property. The creation of the romantic garden also begins this year – a surprising place, where wonder and fun are blended in an almost unreal and magical atmosphere. Manoel Pedro sets a new path for Quinta da Aveleda, with the French-style vine planting, where the varieties are separated in the vineyard. He builds a cellar with capacity for 300 barrels of wine, when Quinta da Aveleda only produced 30. Manoel Pedro defended his vision with the statement, "The future of this house will be wine". And so, Manoel Pedro Guedes' dream of taking care of Quinta da Aveleda begins – one that will be passed on through generations.
Internationally awarded wines
Aveleda wines win the first international medals for their quality: Gold medal at the Berlin International Exhibition and Silver medal at the Paris Exhibition. A successful journey begins, which makes the Quinta da Aveleda wines known and appreciated around the world.
Fernando Guedes da Silva Fonseca, a family man
Fernando Guedes (da Silva), son of Manoel Pedro, was a true family man. He had seven children with his wife, Maria Helena van Zeller: three boys and four girls. He buys the half of the estate inherited by his brother, Manuel Guedes (da Silva), reuniting the whole property. Besides the building the manor house that we know today at Aveleda, inspired by the beautiful châteaux from Bordeaux, Fernando Guedes also installed the fountain of the four sisters – a tribute to his four daughters and the four seasons of the year. Fernando Guedes helped founding the Viticultural Commission in 1908, an organism responsible for the certification and quality assurance of the grapes and wines from the Vinhos Verdes region.
Roberto van Zeller Guedes
Manoel Pedro Guedes' grandson joins his father at Quinta da Aveleda at the age of 23. Roberto van Zeller Guedes is passionate about wine, nature and arts. Through his hands, one of the most epic brands in the Portuguese wine history was born: Casal Garcia. Always a great defender of family values, Roberto advocated the union of the family would be centered on Quinta da Aveleda’s house and on the property's wine production. Thus, stays at the estate's manor house started to be regulated, so that each family branch could enjoy a stay of one month in every year. This helped to develop a lasting bond in the following generations, which is maintained until today.
Casal Garcia, an iconic brand
Fascinated by the dazzling beauty of the vineyards in the landscape, Eugène Hélisse visits Quinta da Aveleda for the first time in 1937. Here he met Roberto van Zeller Guedes, grandson of the founder. After long conversations and trials, in 1939 they launched together a special wine – one of a bright crystalline color, very fresh, aromatic, and balanced. It was given the name of the vineyard where the grapes were sourced: Casal Garcia.
Expansion of the winery
These were the years that witnessed a growing demand for the Aveleda wines, in Portugal and in the world. To respond to the success that Casal Garcia Vinho Verde and the Quinta da Aveleda wines were having, Roberto van Zeller Guedes decided to build larger production facilities. The Adega das Figueiras (Fig Tree Winery) was finished at this time, with a total capacity of 475.000L and a mechanized bottling line.
Through the flora and fauna of these gardens
Passionate for the flora and fauna of these gardens, and in the occasion of his 25th wedding anniversary, Roberto inaugurated the Fountain of Our Lady of Vendôme, patron Saint of Oporto. Located in one of the favorite places of the family, this is a must-see spot for all workers and visitors of Quinta da Aveleda.
Luis Manuel Alves Machado Guedes
The second son of Roberto van Zeller Guedes was the first of the fourth generation of the family to join Aveleda, most specifically in the commercial and public relations area. Remembered by all as a charming man, Luís travelled restlessly across Europe, America, Africa, and the Far East to spread the company’s brands. In 1967, together with his brother António, he became administrator and formed the first marketing, sales, administration, and financial departments. He created the wine tourism center and the Aveleda Shop, that represented 10% of the company’s turnover. It was imperative to keep Aveleda in the hands of the family, until the stage when several takeover bids for the company appeared between 1996 and 1998. Luís dies in 1998, aware of the happy ending that, despite these offers, Aveleda remained with his brothers and daughters.
Sales success
The rising demand for the Casal Garcia and Aveleda wines lead the production to reach the mark of 10 million liters.
António Alves Machado Guedes
António Alves Machado Guedes, son of Roberto van Zeller Guedes, joins Aveleda after the sudden death of his father. He dedicates all his free time to be the technical director of Aveleda, at the same time he attended the military service. He travelled through Argentina, Chile, South Africa, California and several other European countries. He realized it was urgent to transform the viticultural methods to others more adapted to the region of Vinhos Verdes. This was when Aveleda’s vineyards became fully mechanized, and when the Meinedo and Mondim de Basto vineyards were planted. At this moment, Aveleda managed 170 hectares of vineyards. During his work as administrator, first with his brother Luís and later with his other brother Roberto, they formed a solid and responsible team, that carried the company to be what we know today.
Wine Tourism
The rising of tourism in the region, particularly at Quinta da Aveleda, motivated the equipping of buildings with tasting rooms and a larger shop in which to receive the thousands of visitors that came by. Aveleda becomes, at this point, the first wine company in the country, outside of the Port wine sector, to start this activity.
Modernization
In the 80’s, there was further construction and equipping of buildings. There also implemented control procedures or food safety and quality. The building of the highway between Oporto and Villa Real also took place in this period, which allowed the Aveleda workers in the Oporto offi"ces to be transferred to Quinta da Aveleda, in Penafiel, almost like "returning home".
Roberto Alves Machado Guedes and Quinta d’Aguieira
Roberto Guedes is invited to join the Aveleda Direction board in 1997, after a long career managing different companies. His experience in management during his professional experience was fundamental to define the shareholder structure within the family, and the three main pillars of the company: family, shareholders, and workers. The reforms implemented during Roberto Guedes’ years as Aveleda’s administrator allowed a significant economic stability for the company. This paved the way for a new generation to come.
Quinta d’Aguieira
Após uma visita à Quinta d’Aguieira, e ao ficar a conhecer os vinhos que envelheciam na adega da casa há várias décadas, António e Roberto Guedes compram esta propriedade histórica da Bairrada.
Business growth
In the start of the new millennium, the contract was celebrated between Aveleda and PrimeDrinks, our distributor in the Portuguese market until today. In 2007, Aveleda was considered one of the best wine producers in the world by the Wine & Spirits magazine. And finally, in 2009, the second reference of Casal Garcia is launched to the market since the creation of the brand: Casal Garcia Rosé.
Bet on exports
Aveleda surpasses the production of 10 million Casal Garcia bottles sold. With the continuous rise in the demand for Vinho Verde wine in the American market, Aveleda Inc. was established also this year – an importer for the Aveleda wines that is owned by the company.
The fifth generation: Martim and António Guedes
The fifth generation, represented by the cousins Martim Andresen Guedes and António Azevedo Guedes, starts leading the company in 2013. With very different profiles, they maintain a shared leadership that has resulted in multiple successes over the past few years. António, that followed his passion for wine and specialized in viticulture, joined Aveleda in 2002, fully dedicated to the Quinta d’Aguieira project. Later, he was designated director of Viticulture until he joined the administration as Co-CEO, in charge of the areas of production, viticulture and wine tourism. Martim studied management and worked in the financial sector before he joined Aveleda. Today he supervises the Sales, Marketing, Innovation & Strategy and Human Resources areas of the company.
Revolutionary viticulture
In 2014, the project of increasing Aveleda’s privately owned vineyards started. New land was acquired, and new vineyards were planted, following the company’s viticulture strategy. In the same year, the wine Aveleda Alvarinho won the Best Alvarinho of the World award in the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Also, the wine Quint da Aveleda (known today as Aveleda Loureiro & Alvarinho) was in the Top 100 Best Buy of Wine Enthusiast.
The first bet in the Douro
In 2016, Aveleda acquires an estate in the Douro superior, known at the time as “Seis Quintas” and later named as Quinta Vale do Sabor. This year was also marked by the launching of a new range of Casal Garcia products: the Sangrias, which became a huge success right in the release year.
The acquisition of Quinta Vale D. Maria
Aveleda buys Quinta Vale D. Maria from their cousin Cristiano van Zeller, that at this point integrates Aveleda as one of the shareholders. Quinta Vale D. Maria is a pioneer project in the creation of highly recognized, prestige and quality wines with the Douro appellation. Each harvest, their wines are appraised by the most demanding wine critiques in the world as one of the best Portuguese wines. And so Aveleda integrates this new range of wines, adding a super-premium offer to the markets.
Company of the Year
Aveleda is considered the “Company of the Year” by one of the most famous wine magazines in Portugal: Revista de Vinhos. This year, Aveleda takes another bold step into a new wine region: the Algarve. The brand Villa Alvor is released, paying homage to the people that inhabited these lands: the Romans and the Arabs. The Villa Alvor brand is recognized by the quality its white and rosé wines, very expressive and fruit driven.
150 years of history
In 2020, Aveleda fulfils 150 years of history and breaks its own record once again. By the end of this year, the company had reached the mark of over 20 million bottles produced. 2020 was also highlighted by the release of new wines within the Aveleda range. The viticulture expertise of Aveleda, exploring the different Soils and Parcels, is now reflected in these new wines. But the big focus goes to the iconic wine that pays tribute to Aveleda’s founder – Manoel Pedro Guedes. This is a very special wine, produced in very small quantities.
