Origin FIRMA was born from the will and entrepreneurship of two people ISAÍAS GOMES TEIXEIRA ÁLVARO VEIGA The millenary tradition of winemaking and viticulture in the Ervedosa area of the Alto Douro Wine Region, a World Heritage Site, takes us on a journey through time: The first traces of “vitis vinifera” (grapevines) in the region date back to the 20th century BC. The remains of wine presses, vessels and binary materials date back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The vernacular buildings, farms, terraces, cart paths and centuries-old wine warehouses show the ancestral synergy between human activity and the essence of this terroir, with the natural space transformed into agricultural land and cultural landscape. FIRMA is a company owned by Isaías Gomes Teixeira and Álvaro Veiga, which produces wine from grapes grown on farms and plots in the Ervedosa do Douro area, a parish in the municipality of São João da Pesqueira, in the district of Viseu. The word FIRMA comes from the Latin “firmare”, which means to firm up, consolidate, fix. The term has become synonymous with signature, in the sense that to sign a document is to establish and strengthen a bond between two founding partners. A Vigneron – ‘winegrower-winemaker’ – is the craftsman who takes care of his vineyards and grapes, makes the wine from those grapes and, after aging, bottles it. This artisan follows all the processes of grape production and winemaking, revealing the personality of each terroir, based on traditional techniques that take care of quality and protect the environment. WINEMAKER CONSTANTINO RAMOS View More Constantino Ramos - FIRMA's winemaker - was born in Vouzela in 1983. He holds a master's degree in oenology from the University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro. He began his career in the Dão and Douro areas and as fate would have it, Constantino soon became the 'right-hand man' of the prestigious Alvarinho producer - Anselmo Mendes. It was here - in Monção and Melgaço - that, over the course of 10 years, he acquired in-depth knowledge of vinho verde and an experimentalist approach to valuing the grape and the terroir. In 2022, he returns to the Douro where, together with FIRMA, he explores the potential of our oldest vines, the differences in exposure and altitude (high altitudes of over 500 meters). At FIRMA, Constantino is free to work with the wines according to his interpretation, transposing the essence of the Douro and Minho regions into our wines. COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR FILIPA AMADO View More Filipa Silva Amado was born in Lisbon, graduated in Agricultural Engineering with a Masters and Specialization in Enology from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia. In 2010, she accepted the Soares family's challenge to join the winemaking team and be Brand Ambassador of Herdade da Malhadinha Nova. In 2021 she decides to deepen her technical-scientific knowledge in the area of vineyards and wine and joins More Colab - an entity that transfers knowledge between companies and R & D units. In 2023 and due to her passion for the world of wine, she accepts the challenge of joining the FIRMA project team to implement a new brand in the wine market. FOUNDING PARTNER ÁLVARO VEIGA View More Duriense, born and raised among vineyards and olive groves, with a deep knowledge of Terroir and how to get the best out of the vineyards. Álvaro honored the family legacy by continuing the plots of old vineyards and olive groves in the Ervedosa do Douro area. Olive oil producer and connected to the world of wine since 2000, Álvaro Veiga was responsible for managing a Douro winery for many years. OFFICE SUPPORT ANA PATRÍCIA OLIVEIRA View More Ana Patrícia Oliveira, was born in Almada and graduated in Artistic and Heritage Promotion, in Setúbal. With a professional background in the Cultural area, she highlights her ability to promote cultural organization and management projects. Influenced by her Douro roots, she exchanged the city for the village, which allowed her to acquire knowledge related to Viticulture and Viniculture and discover a new passion: the Douro. At FIRMA, she accepts the challenge of bringing new interpretations of the Douro to the wine world. FOUNDING PARTNER ISAÍAS GOMES TEIXEIRA View More An investor and entrepreneur, throughout his career he has been a director of Independente, a director at media capital and founding CEO of the LeYa group. A few years ago, he began to diversify his investments into sectors linked to biotechnology, aviation, new technologies and education. A self-confessed oenophile, Isaías sees and recognizes great potential in the wine sector and wine tourism. RESIDENT WINEMAKER NUNO PAIS SERRA View More Nuno Pais Serra, born in Braga in 1996, has always lived in the city of Porto. Graduated in Agricultural Engineering from the Faculty of Sciences of Porto, and Master in Viticulture and Enology Engineering from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia. After brief visits to the Vinhos Verdes region, where he met and interned with Constantino Ramos, and Napa Valley, he returns to Douro where he took his first steps. At FIRMA, he finds a team with a young spirit, with a strong connection to regional traditions and customs, but supported by scientific and technical knowledge, which meets his values and expectations