Oscar Quevedo

Oscar Quevedo's Story

"As someone once said, “I was born inside a fermentation tank”. I can assure you that this is false, but it is true that my family has been making wine for over one hundred years. I always thought I was too cool to dedicate my scarce time to vines, grapes or pipes. I wanted to change the world, to become a famous, internationally known banker.

I started my career working in finance in Lisbon. In 2006, I moved to Geneva and later to Madrid to work in mergers and acquisitions. Unfortunately, the rhythm at which I was changing the world was remarkably slow. So instead, I decided to reinvent our brand in a new way! Hence, in honour of my father’s name, I felt that Oscar would be a good brand!

I love the fact that you, as a winemaker, are never wrong. Nowadays, it’s difficult to find bad wines, and even when my decision-making falters, there is always someone to support me. And on a light-hearted note, I also love to see the birds flying over the vineyards or the rabbits moving quickly in the middle of the vines. It brings me back to nature, to my home, and to the place I love to be.

But the very best is when you find someone that says: “Oscar, your wines don’t suck …”

We are very focused on looking at the sustainability of our vineyard. We protect the environment as much as we can by using recycled paper for draft documents; programming activities at the winery that consume more electricity during off peak hours; using recycled cardboard; using natural closers; growing 25 hectares of organic olive oil; using lighter bottles for reducing transport costs and enticing flocks of sheep to our vineyards during winter and green pruning.

The things that really make working here a pleasure are the people I get to spend my days with and the beautiful surroundings . Uncle Mario’s barbecues on a brisk harvest evenings are the best food pairings for our wines (you must try the grilled chicken!). My Dad’s ingenious ideas during domino games are our main source of innovation. I always find good ideas always come after a glass of wine, so we always start tastings early in the morning to initiate a very productive day. Ah, and our dive in the Douro River after a day harvesting grapes prepares you for an extra four hours of racking. Most of all though I certainly could not do my job without my sister Claudia."