Since 1884
For over 135 years, we have been writing a story of commitment, passion and dedication... whilst adhering to our maxim of "res non verba"!
About us
Founded in 1884, Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges has a long history of making and marketing great wines. Two enterprising brothers, António and Francisco Borges, who had remarkable business acumen and a deep passion for both the land and wine began the task of building their vision into the company that we know today.
Get to know our story
Our passion for wine and our unceasing quest to create unique wines have been the main driving forces behind the writing of a story that already dates back more than 135 years. They are the same qualities that ensure that, today, Borges wines are so highly appreciated in over 60 markets across five continents.
JMV Group
Since 1998, Borges has been part of this prestigious group, which is led by the Vieira family and wholly Portuguese owned. Our wines are part of an extensive portfolio that is sourced from three of Portugal's main demarcated regions, where we have our own winemaking estates. Under one roof, we bring together the versatility and uniqueness of wines from the Douro, Dão and Vinho Verde regions, the nobility of Port wines and the elegance of sparkling wines.
Borges has three winemaking centres in each of these regions and we produce over 6 million bottles annually.
In Felgueiras, in the heart of the Vinho Verde Demarcated Region, Borges has built one of the most modern production centres in Portugal, with a winemaking capacity of 2.5 million litres and a storage capacity of 9 million litres.
This is we have installed our bottling line for still and sparkling wines and where we have our cellar for ageing sparkling wines.
Thanks to these infrastructures, we are able to ensure a more efficient control of our high quality standards.
And do so without losing touch with the house’s long history, the dedication of generations past and present and the traditions of a country.
Borges has successfully reinvented itself, so as to keep up with new market dynamics and respond with quality to a new type of wine consumer, one that is better informed and more demanding.
BRC and ISO 9001 Certifications and Integrated Production System
At an early stage, the organization took the strategic decision to acquire the internationally recognized BRC and ISO 9001 certifications. We saw these as a way of spurring continuous improvement of our overall performance, whilst also keeping a tight focus on offering quality products and services to all our customers. These certificates underscore our commitment to quality, safety and food responsibility.
All Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges estates employ an integrated production system. This is a production system that is based on good agricultural practices, with rational management of natural resources. It favours the use of natural regulation mechanisms rather than production factors and, thus, contributes towards sustainable farming.
Our story
“Foundation of Casa Borges
In 1884, brothers António Nunes Borges and Francisco António Borges set up a trading company called Borges & Irmão. Although they were relatively young, the two brothers had already amassed a good deal of experience in businesses that ranged from the sale of lottery tickets and tobacco to foreign exchange and tax stamps.”
1884
“Investment in the wine sector and the management of Artur Lello
As the business grew, Borges & Irmão diversified into wine and other beverages and developed a strong focus on exports, particularly to Brazil.
From 1895 onwards, the wine business became increasingly important to Borges & Irmão. It was at this time that Artur Lello, who had vast experience in both producing and marketing wine, took over as manager.”
1890
“The challenge of a new century and land investment
By the turn of the century, the Borges brothers had a business that was on a solid footing. This was largely due to their mastery of business techniques, keeping their word and their straightforwardness, humility and respectable bearing and lifestyle. It was as if the dignity and austerity of daily life were no more than a reflection of the honesty and credibility of the commercial and financial operations of their house. To this day, the brothers’ example sets the standard at the company.
As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, it became clear that the company needed to invest in land if it was to grow wine production, expand its trade in wine and establish the quality of its brands.”
1900
“Purchase of Quinta da Soalheira
In 1904, Borges purchased the Quinta da Soalheira estate, in S. João da Pesqueira, for 8,000 escudos. Now spread over 340 hectares, Borges produces its best Port and Douro wines here.”
1904
“Business expansion and the success of the Borges brands
Under the management of Artur Lello, wine played an increasingly important role in Borges & Irmão’s overall business portfolio. The company not only began to place a greater emphasis on wines, rather than the other alcoholic drinks in its portfolio at the time, but also developed its commitment to creating its own brands and affirming the quality of these wines, which were sold on the local, national and foreign markets. All this, meant investing heavily in both wine making and bottling.
Between 1900 and 1913, Borges & Irmão filed over 70 brand registration applications. Some of the brands established during this period, such as Pérola (1901), Trovador (1904), Gatão (1905), Fita Azul (1906), Borges (1907) and Lello (1913), have achieved iconic status and remain successful to this day.”
1900 — 1913
“The birth of Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges & Irmão
Business at Borges & Irmão, especially the banking and wine sectors, forged ahead in the favourable trading environment that followed the end of the First World War, in 1918. This led the Borges brothers to spin off their wine division into a private limited liability company, Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges & Irmão. The company was set up with the idea of giving the wine business the headroom it needed to develop and expand. The enterprise was managed by Artur Lello and his son Carlos Lello, who assisted his father in the demanding work of making and selling wines.”
1918
“Diversity and prestige of the Borges brands
From its inception through to 1945, Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges sought not only to make the most of the brands in its diversified portfolio, but also to build the standing of associated products and bring new labels on board. This was particularly the case of the Port wines, in which brand diversity was combined with the various categories and specific characteristics of colour, sweetness, ageing, age or year of harvest, grape varieties or vineyards of origin.
The same thing happened, though not on quite such a grand scale, with the still wines.
Natural sparkling wine brands were marketed in Portugal and abroad, in sweet, medium dry, dry and extra dry varieties. All the back labels of the sparkling wine brands stated that they were “Borges natural sparkling wines without added carbon dioxide”. Fita Azul, which was to become the company’s best-known sparkling wine, was first registered as a brand back in 1906. It was then re-registered in 1934 and 1935, carrying, in the latter case, the designation “Grande Vinho Espumante Natural / Ultra Reserva” (Great Natural Sparkling Wine / Ultra Reserve).
The company’s aguardente and brandy brands also gained prominence in its sales portfolio. Prime amongst these was the prestigious Old Brandy Reserva dos Fundadores (Old Brandy Founder’s Reserve), which paid tribute to António Nunes Borges, Francisco António Borges and Artur Lello.
No less important were the investment in brand advertising and the participation in national and international exhibitions, at which Borges wines won a lot of distinctions and medals.”
1945
“Joining the JMV Group
When the José Maria Vieira business group acquired shareholder control of Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges in September 1998, it was already working closely with Vinhos Borges, as its main distributor for the Portuguese market.
Following this acquisition by the JMV Group, Sociedade dos Vinhos Borges once again found itself immersed in the family-company world, with its close meshing of family life cycles and transitions with business life and historical time.
A new development strategy was formed, with the aim of strengthening the company’s competitive position, modernizing and streamlining the organization, centralizing and boosting the efficiency of the means of production, consolidating the company’s presence in the domestic market and focusing on export markets. To this end, an investment program was put in place to centralize production at the Lixa facilities. The work included the construction of the sparkling wine tunnel, enlargement of the warehouse areas and setting up bottling and labelling lines in 1999. In 2007, these lines were further expanded, so as to be able to cope with the growth in turnover.
No less important were the agricultural investments that were made. These covered the reconversion and expansion of farm wine-growing areas, the modernization of grape-growing techniques and the purchase of new properties and the injection of capital into these.”
1998
“Res Non Verba, deeds not words!
Each new year is seen as the beginning of another cycle and another success. This is what all our employees are working towards, by maintaining customer trust and raising the standards of quality that have made and continue to make Borges one of Portugal’s leading wine producers. This company, deeply rooted in nature, now delivers the fruit of its passion to all four corners of the globe and, in the spirit of RES NON VERBA, continues to write and rewrite the story of wine: a story of commitment, love and dedication.”