João Pires & Filhos Lda was founded in the Algarve in 1922 and moved to Setúbal in 1966. Under the guidance of António Avillez they started selling wine in bottle and created many brands such as Tinto da Anfora and Quinta da Bacalhôa, made by Australian winemaker Peter Bright.
Wineries and estates were purchased in other areas of the country such as Vinho Verde and Bairrada. In the 1990s the Berardo family got involved and became majority shareholders by 1998. Joe Berardo is one of the wealthiest people in Portugal and is also a shareholder in Madeira producer Henriques & Henriques amongst others. The company is now one of Portugal’s largest producers with three wineries and their headquarters at Azeitâo in the Setúbal peninsula and a capacity of 12 million litres of wine and 6000 casks for ageing. In 2005 the name was changed to Bacalhôa, Vinhos de Portugal.
Portugal
