G20 Foundation Publications Turkey 2015 | Page 14

14 INTRODUCTION & WELCOME JOÃO PORTUGAL RAMOS FAMILY ESTATES – A REFERENCE IN THE BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES IN VITICULTURE IN PORTUGAL. João Portugal Ramos, and the group João Portugal Ramos Family Estates , with its name is based in Estremoz, and is an inevitable reference of the Portuguese wines with several projects in 5 major wine regions of the country: J. Portugal Ramos Wines (Alentejo); Falua Wines (Tejo), Quinta de Foz de Arouce (Beiras), Duorum Wines (Douro) and more recently Vinho Verde Project (Vinhos Verdes) scattered around the country, playing an important role in the development of some notable Portuguese wines across a wide variety of regions. The successes achieved and prizes won throughout his career have brought him national and international acclaim as one of the main figures responsible for the development of Portuguese wines during the last thirty years. Born to a long line of producers, JOÃO PORTUGAL RAMOS started his work as oenologist in Alentejo region in 1980 and in the end of the 1980’s, as result of his accumulated experience, became a consultant oenologist in response to requests from various producers João Portugal Ramos Family Estates has taken into consideration sustainability based not only in a profitable enterprise but also one that takes into account the environmental and social aspects, permanently searching for efficiency. The beauty of the Alentejo plains, its culture and the rich gastronomic tradition make Estremoz a fascinating region. This was the location chosen by João Portugal Ramos in 1990, to make his own wines. This process starts in the vineyards through integrated agriculture and biological vine, ending in post consuption. Our dimension allows us to expand successful management measures to the various projects, and to adapt or abandon less successful measures. As agronomist and nature lover João Ramos has been reinforcing consciousness and passing on good environmental practices to all those who collaborate with him on a daily basis. From a strategic point of view our attitude towards the environment has been necessary and relevant in many aspects. It expresses the long-standing relationship with nature and the countryside, and our executives, workers, partners, can be said to express some of our core values.