FRA_GG_N46-WEB

PORTUGAL
– MARKETS –
José Luis Oliveira da Silva, CEO
Casa Santos Lima was founded by Joaquim
Santos Lima in the late 19 th century, and
for many years it exported barrels of wine
produced at Quinta da Boavista to countries
like Brazil and the United Kingdom.
Since then, five different generations have managed
the family business. In the 1990s, the task fell to José
Luis Oliveira da Silva, who left his career in finance to
fully focus on his family’s business. After taking over
the company, he launched himself into restructuring
the old winery, modernising the equipment, and
building new infrastructures and wine cellars.
The same decade also saw several milestones in
the company’s development. For example, the
most prestigious Portuguese varieties, as well as
international varieties (1990-1995) were introduced;
the first vintages under the Quinta da Espiga, Quinta
das Setencostas and Palha-Canas brands (1996) were
bottled and the first 86,000 bottles were shipped to the
United Kingdom.
WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 85