The technical team at Herdade do Esporão has two winemakers, led by a technical director. The high quality of our wines depends largely on the experience, technical skills and creative minds of this team. This last attribute is not to be underestimated, given that wine is eminently an act of creation. Above and beyond all knowledge acquired through education and empirical study, our technical team is outstanding for the creativity that it applies in the production of wines and for the desire for innovation ever present in its work.
Consequently, our wines acquire a distinctive character that reflects the personality of those who conceive and make them. The technical team is concerned with guaranteeing the quality of the grapes before they reach the winery and, once the winemaking process has started, they use the most advanced technology to create wines that are notable for their intrinsic quality, as well as also for how they surprise consumers. Anchored in the wine growing tradition of the Alentejo, our team is able to enrich the wines of the estate with unusual combinations of aromas and flavours.

David Baverstock
(n. 1955)
David Baverstock is at the forefront of modern Portuguese winemaking, although he comes from the other side of the world. Born in Adelaide, in South Australia, our technical director was considered Portuguese winemaker of the year in 1999. That was a firm sign of recognition of his decisive contribution to the modernisation of the profile of Portuguese wines and to their international acclaim.

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Luís Patrão
(n. 1980)
Luís Patrão has been a winemaker at Herdade do Esporão since 2004 and is the producer and winemaker for the VADIO (DOC Bairrada) wine. He has brought the estate the modernity of New World producers and professional experience in this winemaking region. Born in Anadia, he studied Wine Production at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (1999-2003) and trained with various Douro producers and later in Australian companies.

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Sandra Alves
(b. 1974)
Sandra Alves is responsible for the vinification, stabilisation, blending and quality control of the Herdade do Esporão white wines. She graduated in Wine Production from the University of Trás-os-Montes and continued with postgraduate studies in Viticulture and Wine Production at the Catholic University of Porto, before leaving Portugal in 2004 for the New World. In Margaret River, in Australia, she acquired training and experience in vinification and quality control for white wines.

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