The Team
We believe that the success and quality of our wines are a direct reflection of the commitment and passion of those who work with us. We are a small team, with some playing a role in the creative process that goes from the vineyard to the wine, while others work on the promotion and distribution process, which goes from the bottle to the consumer. The strength of the team lies in the closeness between everyone, in the synergy that allows a clear vision of each role and each stage, ensuring that the final result respects the essence of our region, the spirit of our project, and our commitment to excellence. Meet the people who make our wines.
Producer
Nuno Monteiro Pereira, a retired urologist and university professor, has been interested in wine since he was a child, when he would accompany his father's family to the grape harvest in the heart of Bairrada. His maternal side of the family also has a connection to wine, as they owned a century-old wine and grocery wholesale company in the town of Bombarral, a business that he personally managed until it closed in 1977.
The project to produce own-brand wines began to take shape in 1995 when, with his wife Maria Emília, he acquired a small farm in the Oeste wine region, just 35 kilometres from Lisbon. However, it was only in 2011 that a winery was built and more land was acquired. In the following years, around 13 hectares of vineyards were planted and the winery was equipped. The goal of producing wine entirely from own grapes was only achieved in 2015.
Winemaker
Alexandra Mendes, graduated from the Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém, specializing in Food Engineering, Wine Area, with a posgraduate degree in Marketing Management. She completed her professional internship at Quinta da Romeira, in Bucelas. Since 1996, she has been responsible for the oenology of Adega Cooperativa de Dois Portos. She is also an oenology consultant for several companies in the wine regions of Alentejo and Tejo. She is the current President of the Portuguese Association of Oenology and Viticulture.
Winemaker at Quinta do Cerrado da Porta since 2011, she helped define the Quinta's strategy and choose the grape varieties to be planted. She is responsible for all the wines produced, overseeing the entire grape harvesting, vinification and bottling process.
Viticologist
Amândio Cruz, graduated in Agricultural Engineering from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), with a postgraduate degree in "Plant nutrition, soil fertility and fertilization". A PhD candidate in viticulture at ISA, he is a collaborator in several European and national research projects in the area of viticulture. Author and co-author of more than 70 publications, including books, articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings and technical magazines. Co-supervisor of several undergraduate and master's theses. He provides technical and scientific support in viticulture in the regions of Dão, Lisbon, Setúbal Peninsula, Alentejo, Azores and Catalonia. He is a member of the Coordinating Council of Professional Activities of the Portuguese Association of Oenology and Viticulture. He has been responsible for viticulture at Quinta do Cerrado da Porta since 2017.
Financial Director
Tiago Monteiro Pereira, graduated in computer engineering from the Catholic University, with a postgraduate degree in Business Administration and Management from ISCTE.
He participated in the initial development of the Quinta do Cerrado da Porta project, and has been its financial manager since 2015.
Commercial Director
Miguel Monteiro Pereira, attended the Degree in Cinema, Video and Multimedia Communication, which he did not complete. Between 2007 and 2018 he was the owner and manager of “Esquina da Bica”, one of the best-known bars on Rua da Bica, in Lisbon. Between 2009 and 2014 he was the concessionaire of the kiosk in Jardim do Torel, at the time considered one of the 10 best terraces in Lisbon. Since 2015 he has been the owner and "chef" of the restaurant "Tasca do Mercado", located in Mercado de Arroios, in Lisbon.
He participated in the initial development of the Quinta do Cerrado da Porta project, and since 2015 has been responsible for marketing the wines produced by the Quinta, also coordinating representations at wine tastings, exhibitions and fairs.
Workers in the vineyards
Quinta do Cerrado da Porta has two permanent farm workers and regularly hires more people for temporary work, particularly for pruning and manual harvesting. They are responsible for the hard work in the vineyard, often under heavy rain, extreme cold and excessive heat. During the harvest, between mid-August and the end of September, most of the grapes are harvested mechanically, but the grapes destined for sparkling wines and top-of-the-range wines are harvested by hand. It is a time of work, but also of celebration. In the photo: Nuno Santos, José Fernando, Jaime Pereira, Francisco Rosa and Nelson.