Since 1998, DFJ Vinhos SA has exported over 99 percent of its 8 million bottles to over 50 countries. “DFJ Vinhos SA exports 99 percent of ten million bottles.”
Internationalization, efficiency, and a diverse bid in response to consumer desires are the watchwords of a company whose major goal is to attain the best quality/price ratio for each of its products at all times in order to keep its consumers pleased. A risk that has paid off, as seen by the company’s growing international presence and several honors received outside of Portugal: more than 3500 since 2010.
DFJ produces wine on 250 hectares of vineyards, principally in the Lisbon area, as well as on a number of estates. The most important is Quinta do Porto Franco, which has 80 hectares and one winemaking core. José Neiva Correia grew raised in this neighborhood. DFJ Vinhos’ headquarters, Quinta da Fonte Bela, is equally substantial, with 50 hectares and a second winemaking base.
WINEMAKING & INNOVATION
José Neiva Correia, Herdeiros, brings a neat agriculture to the careful selection of grape varieties to be planted in the many fields, Herdeiros, José Neiva Correia, where there is no room for chemicals in their soils, only high-quality organic matter and carefully chosen rootstocks according to the conditions.
With the same excitement and spirit of innovation that characterizes him, this winemaker recently conducted out another experiment, this time in the municipality of Torres Vedras: he planted a hectare and a half of Dorn Felder. a German grape variety with early maturation and high resistance to Atlantic effect that produces wines with a lot of color and fruit, even to consumer taste, but is nearly unknown in Portugal. The results were so impressive that the company plans to release a variety of items as soon as rules allow. We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any proof to back it up.
Jose Neiva Correia grew up in a land of wine and vineyards, at Quinta de Porto Franco, one of the oldest properties in Alenquer’s municipality, with a history that, according to historians, predates the country’s independence. José Neiva Correia, one of Portugal’s most successful winemakers, will pursue a large portion of the raw material for DFJ Vinhos, which he founded in 1998 and now produces an estimated annual production of eight million bottles, 30 labels, and 110 different wines from Portugal’s Douro, Peninsula de Setbal, Lisbon, and Verdes regions.
On both his father’s and mother’s lines, José Neiva Correia, a descendant of many generations of winegrowers, carried on the family legacy with taste and skill. Anyone who knows him or has worked with him can witness to the zeal with which he labels each of his many and unique wines, which he creates by blending odd grape kinds with surprising outcomes. The demand for end-product quality is unquestionably the same, whether top-of-the-line at higher costs and smaller runs, or higher numbers to meet enormous global markets. You must be able to execute it flawlessly.
He’s been in the vanguard of introducing new grape varieties to Portugal, fighting for more environmentally sustainable agriculture, and looking for solutions to one of the industry’s most pressing issues: how to better fence bottles with cork stoppers. He also developed and patented an ozone-based cork cleaning system (which he later sold to the Amorim Group) that helps reduce the amount of TCA (trichloroanisole, the component that causes “smell a stopper”), the winemaker’s worst enemy.
Quinta da Fonte Bela – Cathedral of the Wine
It’s a one-of-a-kind centennial property in Vila Ch de Ourique – Cartaxo, 80 kilometers north of Lisbon. The majority of the structures are examples of “cast-iron architecture,” which was popularized by Eiffel’s students in the second half of the nineteenth century. Engineers from Eiffel’s studio, who were in Portugal at the time working on major projects such as the Santa Justa elevator in Lisbon and the D. Porto’s Lus Bridge. The owner of the Quinta at the time, António Francisco Ribeiro Ferreira, took advantage of their presence and commissioned the plans for what would become the core of his agricultural activities.
Singapore Awards 2022 by Singapore Newspaper awarded SIX GOLD medal Awards and TWO SILVER Medal Awards to DFJ Vinhos SA for their White Wines:
PORTADA Reserva red 2020 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 13,0%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
PORTADA Reserva red 2019 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 13,5%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
ALTA CORTE red 2020 Vinho Regional Lisboa – 12,5%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
POINT WEST red 2019 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 12,5%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
POINT WEST white 2020 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 12,5%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
GRAND’ARTE Touriga Nacional red 2019 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 13,0%
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
PORTADA Medium Sweet rosé 2021 Vinho Regional Lisboa – 12,0%
Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper
Always on Friday red 2019 – Vinho Regional Lisboa – 13,0%
Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper
Interview of Singapore Awards to MR. LUIS GOUVEIA
SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
Question 1: Do you already export to Singapore ? If yes, where ? If no, what type of importers & distributors are you looking for in Singapore ?
We don’t export to Singapore.
We are not experts in the Singapore market and its consumers, which means that we need to trust and rely on partners in the market.
We are looking for importers with knowledge of the market, capable of developing sales, marketing and distribution.
We try to make the best product, at the best price, suited to the consumer’s taste and pleasure.
We do not impose any type of guidance on the importer with regard to brand policy, commercial strategy and marketing, as he is the specialist in the market.
Question 2: What is the most unique and qualitative part of your products, different from competitors ?
We work hard to produce wines ready for any event and everyday consumption.
We produce easy-drinking, tasty, elegant wines capable of pleasing those who don’t like wine, and as well, sure, the ones who love wine.
That’s why we always recommend buyers to taste our wines with consumers who care about price, quality and pleasure.
Question 3: When did you start to export your brand worldwide, and what is your development plan for the next years ?
We were born in 1998 only to export to the UK.
Today we have 250 ha of vineyards with certified sustainable production.
Mr. José Neiva Correia is the head winemaker and owner, making wines since the 1974 vintage.
In 2020 we exported more than 99% of 10 million bottles to more than 50 countries.
Our hallmark: CREATING THE WINES THAT PEOPLE LOVE TO SHARE.
Since 2010 we have won 4,385 awards, 630 only in 2021.
We aim to continue creating wines that delight consumers around the world.
Importers and Distributors for more information about DFJ VINHOS SA please CLICK HERE or email MR. LUÍS GOUVEIA : luis.gouveia@dfjvinhos.com
