Casa Ramos Pinto
The visual culture of Port Wine
Adriano Ramos Pinto
In 1880 a young artist named Adriano Ramos Pinto founded the Casa Ramos Pinto wine estate in the Douro region near Porto. Although only 21 years old at the time of founding the estate, Ramos Pinto rapidly became a best selling wine, accounting for half of the wine exported to South America by the early 20th century.
Partly this was due to the fine quality of wine grapes that can be grown in the Douro region, but it was also due to Adriano Ramos Pinto´s artistic eye and the innovative marketing campaign he launched to publicise the wine. In 1886 Adriano invited his brother António Ramos Pinto, who owned a photographers studio in Porto, to become a partner in the company. António took over the commercial management of the company, allowing Adriano to focus on promotion and marketing of the wines.
Adriano began to commission the finest graphic artists in Europe to design posters and labels for the Ramos Pinto estate. These posters were immensely successful in promoting the wines and remain collector’s items to this day. The posters produced for the estate celebrated unbridled hedonism and youthful exuberance.
Young society ladies dance around bottles as their flowing robes fall off their shoulders, vuluptous naked women laze dreamily as if celebrating a feast of Bacchus (who according to Camoes Lusiads was the pagan god who ruled over Portugal). Ramos Pinto is proudly declared to be a temptation, (São uma tentacão) and one that should be surrended to.
Adriano went to great lengths to find the finest interior designers to design the décor of the offices and the Casa Ramos Pinto developed a tradition of sponsoring the arts. This tradition continues to the present day, with the Ervamoira museum that can be found on the companies site and the support it gives to art history research projects.
Of the Port wines produced by Casa Ramos Pinto, the 10 year old Tawny port "Quinta da Ervamoira" is possibly the most highly sought after. Ramos Pinto also produce two highly regarded red wines under the Duas Quintas label. The Ramos Pinto cellars and museum are open for tours by the public throughout the year.
Casa Ramos Pinto
Av. Ramos Pinto, nº400
Vila Nova de Gaia
Web Site: www.RamosPinto.pt
Tel: 223707000
Fax: 223775099
Open:
June to September from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Public Holidays.
October to May from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Mondays to Fridays), closed on Public Holidays.