Our Story
A family project.
The identity of a country.
Our story melts with the story of Bio’s family. It is born out of the passion of this family by their origins, their land, their people and by the preservation of their local identity. A story that starts in the left bank of river Guadiana, in inland Alentejo, but now spreads out to other regions in the country. Always with the same purpose and determination – to contribute for the preservation of the best of the Portuguese identity, empowering the locals.
In 2007 Manuel Bio becomes President of the cooperative winery Adega Granja Amareleja. He rebuilds a business in jeopardy, restoring its credibility and social and economic importance. Today the winery is responsible for 95% of the production in the region. Driven by the social responsibility of companies. Believing that the business model that best protects local identity and small farms is the cooperativism, building a dynamic local economy and retaining populations, Manuel Bio develops new projects, first in the Alentejo region, and then in the Douro, Lisboa, Tejo, Dão and Vinho Verde wine regions, and now as well in Beira Interior, Algarve and Azores.
2007
Alentejo is the birthplace of Abegoaria. Here we have the greater amount of wine and food projects, that are as diverse as they are rich in experiences. The winery Adega Granja Amareleja is a flagship of the tradition and quality wines from the left bank of river Guadiana. Amareleza Vinhos is the reflexion of the irreverence of its principal creator, the winemaker José Piteira. Irrefutable master in ancient winemaking technics – the famous “Talha” (amphora) wines. Herdade da Madeira Velha, a reference in quality winemaking in Évoramonte. Our wines from Vidigueira are developed in one of the most particular sub-regions of Alentejjo, being responsible for the creation of fine wines of great quality and strong personality. The Herdade do Gamito wine estate is one of the most recent projects in Alentejo. Situated in Crato, in North Alentejo, Herdade do Gamito is a estate with unique characteristics, distinctive parcels of strong individuality, populated often with big granite stones. Here you will find one of the centers of excellence for the development of the fine wines category of the group, a project headed by the renowned winemaker António Braga.
But the Abegoaria project is more than wines. We have in our portfolio olive oils, cheese, meat sausages and ham from Barrancos. A new steps towards diversification in the wine and food business.
But the jewel of the project are the 500 hectares of Herdade Abegoaria dos Frades, in Alqueva, where we plan to build one of the best wine tourism projects in the country, including a charm boutique hotel. From this land we will make the best possible wines out of this terroir and the mastery of our winemakers. The same desire to restore the worth of genuine local products took us to other parts of the country and to invest in projects true to this principle. From Adega de Alijó, famous for the production of Douro moscatel wines, to Adega de Penalva, a reference in the elegance of Dão wines, or Adega Ponte da Barca (Vinhos Verdes), Adega da Meda (Beira Interior), Adega de Dois Portos (Lisboa), and last, but not the least Adega de Lagoa (Algarve).
The estate Quinta Vale de Fornos is other of our emblematic projects. With a complex terroir, in the crossover between Tejo and Lisbon wine regions, Quinta Vale de Fornos developed unique conditions for the creation of superior fine wines. It is home of XVIII century classic marble lagares and an impressive collection of “toneis” (large size wood barrels). The wines from this estate have been impressing local and international wine critics.
In the category of fine wines, 2022 was market by the launch of Eruptio wines, one of the most captivating projects of the group. This is the first endeavor of Abegoaria in the Portuguese islands, particularly in Pico island (Azores) – World Heritage Site of UNESCO since 2004. Eruptio wines are the liquid, honest and nuanced expression that represents the volcanic and Atlantic terroir where its roots grow.
In 2021 the group undertakes one of the most ambitious project ever – the acquisition of Vidigal Wines. This company has its greatest strength in the international markets, where operates in 40 countries globally, with brands of strong international success. The ex-libris wine “Porta 6”, is one of the most internationally successful Portuguese wine brands and a top seller in the UK. After spreading its production across almost all wine regions in the country, the acquisition of Vidigal Wines increased and consolidated the diversification of distribution channels of the project, giving a solid impulse to the group internationally.
Marcas de Referência
This is our project! Made by our personnel, for our people, their identity, and for each and everyone of you!
Our successes
Our story is also a success story. We grew fast, but in a sustainable way. It is with pride, but also with a strong sense of responsibility that we may state that our products are in thousands of portuguese homes. Starting from the 400 thousand litres of wine sold in 2007 we estimate to reach the 20 milion litres by 2020. We are present in the main modern distribution channels, reaching in 2018 8% market share.
“We want to keep a healthy, consistent and sustainable growth. Our objective is to reach the 40 million euros in sales by 2020. In the last years, we have made a growth path in our local market, that we want to keep and reinforce. In 2017 we fostered new ways of growth with focus in export markets and the Horeca channel.”
Manuel Bio