Consulting
I make my own wines at Casca. I also help others make theirs.
Twenty-seven harvests, ten years judging, and eighteen years running a company that works seven regions of Portugal. I put that to work for producers, brands and territories that want to do something serious with their wine. Here is what that means, how it works, and who it is for.
What I do
Winemaking and viticulture. Vineyard and cellar decisions for producers who want wines that show where they come from: old vines, native grapes, low intervention when it makes sense and not when it doesn’t. From a single harvest to a multi-year plan. I work with your team — I need your team; I do not replace it.
Brand and market strategy. How a producer positions itself, prices, and sells — direct, to the trade, and abroad. Brand architecture, range, export readiness, wine clubs, direct-to-consumer. I have built and rebuilt this for my own company and I know where the money is lost.
Territories and institutions. Municipalities, producer associations, wine routes and heritage projects that need a plan for their vineyards and wines — recovery, promotion, tourism, the economics that keep growers on the land. This is the work I care most about, and the one fewest people know how to do.
How it works
A conversation. Free of charge, to understand what you have and what you want, and so I can send you a proposal. I will tell you if I am not the right person.
A diagnosis. A visit, the vineyards, the cellar, the numbers, the wines. You receive a written assessment with what I would do first and why.
A proposal. Scope, calendar, what I deliver and what it costs. Then we work.
Where I work
Colares and Lisboa, the Douro, the Dão, Bairrada, the Beira Interior, the Alentejo — the regions where I have made wine. Elsewhere in Portugal on request.
Cases
Sintra — the wines of Colares and Sintra. Since 2026 I hold a three-year strategic advisory contract with the Municipality of Sintra: a plan to recover, protect and promote one of the rarest wine regions in the world, from vineyard survival to what the region says about itself.
Producers in the Beira Interior and the Alentejo. Winemaking and range consulting for independent estates — in regions where I also make my own wines. Named with their permission, when they choose to.
On independence
I compete in some of the regions where I consult. I say so up front, and I have never found it to be a problem: a stronger region makes every wine in it worth more, mine included. I sell no products, represent no suppliers and take no commissions. What I recommend, I recommend because I would do it myself.
Questions
How do I hire a winemaking consultant in Portugal?
Start with a conversation. Tell me what you have and what you want through the contact form; I reply within ten days. If it makes sense, the next step is a diagnosis on site, then a written proposal with scope, calendar and cost.
Does the first conversation cost anything?
No. The first conversation is free of charge. It exists so I can understand your project and send you a proposal, and so you can decide whether I am the right person.
Do you replace my winemaker or my team?
No. I work with your team and I need your team. The goal is to leave decisions and knowledge in the house, not to make you depend on me.
Which regions do you work in?
Colares and Lisboa, the Douro, the Dão, Bairrada, the Beira Interior and the Alentejo — the regions where I have made wine. Elsewhere in Portugal on request.
Do you work with municipalities and producer associations?
Yes. Territories and institutions are one of the three areas I work in. Since 2026 I hold a three-year strategic advisory contract with the Municipality of Sintra for the wines of Colares and Sintra.
You make wine in regions where you consult. Is that a conflict?
I say so up front. A stronger region makes every wine in it worth more, mine included. I sell no products, represent no suppliers and take no commissions.