porto
dos santos
Manifest
In the beginning was the Douro.
Mighty river of Portugal, enchanted valley predestined for wine.
At the heart of this paradise, the Dos Santos family created a glorious Port.
Crafted with rigor, it spoke of a devotion to the earth, of righteous rewards for honest labor.
Dos Santos believes in virtue.
But one man’s virtue is another man’s vice.
For the spirit may be willing, but the body is weak.
Like impassioned Icarus, Dos Santos soared too close to the sun.
Yet from its ashes, this phoenix rose anew.
Dos Santos believes in temptation.
It is said that the Douro is nine months of winter, and three of hell.
Yet from this hell comes a Port worthy of heaven.
We embrace it all, for one cannot exist without the other.
Divinely sinful yet shamefully good.
Dos Santos believes that heaven can wait.
how it started
Starting its activity at the beginning of the 19th century, the wines sold by the dos Santos family managed to reach a level of prominence, both in Portugal and in the vibrant Brazilian market.
Until, at the beginning of the 20th century, the eccentric and bohemian lifestyle of “Uncle Armando”, the great-grandson of the brand’s founder, led to the sale of the company together with its remarkable stocks of Port Wine.
1836
After the Portuguese Civil War (1832-1834) Joaquim Ferreira Pinto, born in Campanhã and consul of Brazil in Porto, decided to take advantage of his commercial contacts with the newly independent South American Empire and create his own Port Wine company, in order to supply the Brazilian market with the best Douro nectars.
1852
Joaquim Ferreira Pinto, came to marry in the first half of the 19th century with Margarida dos Santos, his right cousin. From this marriage, among others, António dos Santos Ferreira Pinto was born. It was up to him, as the eldest son, to take over his father’s business and it was during his leadership that the firm reached its apogee, achieving a prominent place as one of the main companies exporting Port Wine to the Brazilian market, with its brand “Dona Othilia”.
1887
With the death of his older brother and his father, Armando dos Santos Ferreira Pinto takes over the management of the family business in Porto. However, Armando also died early, not before getting lost in an eccentric and bohemian lifestyle in Paris and Porto, characteristic of the euphoria of the Belle Époque.
1920
After Armando’s death, and as a result of his management of the family business, it was up to his sister Margarida to resolve all the issues and problems that remained and the firm and its stocks of Port Wine were eventually sold to another Port company.
2022
In 2022 Alexandre Antas Botelho, originary from a native Douro family, restarted to bottle Port Wine under the Dos Santos brand. This way, this great grandchild of Margarida dos Santos Ferreira Pinto intend to revive the family brand, resorting to close partnerships with farmers and small local producers and a very strong connection with the Douro.
Porto dos Santos intends, using a deep knowledge of traditional winemaking and blending techniques, to produce Port Wines with a unique personality and a style of their own, marked by great elegance and balance, irreverent and provocative.
