Mateus

Next to port, the most exported branded wine in Portugal and also one of the most successful in the world. The Guedes family owned a vineyard for Vinho Verde in the Douro region in northern Portugal. In 1942, Fernando van Zeller-Guedes founded Sogrape, now Portugal's largest wine company, and created Mateus Rosé. It was then launched (two years later than the rival product Lancers) after the Second World War. The name Mateus is derived from the castle of the same name near Vila Real, in the vicinity of which a new winery was built by Zelle-Guedes at the time. The right to use the name and the image of the castle on the label was acquired with a one-off payment (if the owner had known the sales volumes at the time, he would certainly have insisted on a sales licence).

Mateus - 3 Flaschen

Inspired by the Vinho Verde wines popular in Portugal and Brazil at the time, Mateus was first developed as a sparkling rosé. This is blended from red and white varieties such as Baga, Bastardo (Trousseau Noir) and Tinta Pinheira (Rufete) from all over northern Portugal, sweetened a little and carbonated. Later, a white version was also created. The Mateus Rosé is bottled in a Bocksbeutel-like bottle. The wine developed into Portugal's most successful wine until the early 1980s. Since 1942, more than one billion bottles have been sold. It is still produced in Vila Real, but the majority is made in Anadia in the Bairrada region, where Sogrape also has a large winery.

By CTHOE - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

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Mateus

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