Gate Open: Destination Ramos
Welcome to the party João Portugal Ramos!
Hello,
During my trips to Portugal this year, one key theme has come up time and time again: family.
And I don’t mean the generic "fourth-generation family” marketing talk - I mean real family.
And no Portuguese producer captures the true spirit of family better than João Portugal Ramos.
Which is why I’m so excited to introduce them as my final partner on my Portuguese wine journey to complete the trilogy:
Who is João Portugal Ramos?
João Portugal Ramos is the name of the man (not a myth), but definitely a legend.
Winemaker by trade, João is responsible for changing the game for the Portuguese wine industry, including raising winemaking standards to the next level.
In the 90s, João set up his own winery, João Portugal Ramos, and has never looked back. (Well, actually, he probably has a few times to see what he has achieved.)
His wines embody exactly why so many of us love Portuguese wine, and his children are now at the helm.
Why João Portugal Ramos?
Back in my Majestic Wine days, the Ramos Reserva was my absolute go-to pick at the £10 mark time and time again.
Their wines consistently deliver incredible flavour and drinkability.
They’re champions of sustainability.
Rooted in real family values.
Their wines are widely available across the UK.
It’s in the name João Portugal Ramos :)
“Tremendously good value for such a well-defined wine. Stands strong against others at twice the price.”
Mike V (Vivino)
Where can I find the wines?
They have just launched the Ramos, Family Reserva in Morrisons, which you can find here:
You also have:
Majestic Wine: Ramos Reserva, Vinho Regional Alentejano £9 £9.50
I’m heading out to the winery in June, so look out for the updates. Until then, I hope you have a great bank holiday weekend.
Cheers,
Luke 🍷
Ps don’t miss out on May’s “The List” update.
I fully support someone with such a great name!
Hi Luke, my wife & I went to João Portugal Ramos, and had a great wine tasting and a short winery tour, hosted by Lucia Coimbra. We saw a couple of things that we’ve never seen before: open marble wine vats in which the first pressing take place (by willing volunteers); also “field blending”, where different varietals of red grapes are planted together in the same vineyard.
We left with a number of couple of bottles of their fantastic barrel-aged white wine, and a box of their lovely olive oil.
It was a bit of a challenge to get everything back to Cape Town, since one cannot buy their products here.