Founded in 1920 by brothers José, Manuel, and Albano Costa, Caves São João is a family business that initially dedicated itself to selling fine Douro wines and liqueurs. Today, it is the oldest family business still operating in the municipality of Anadia.

In the 1930s, with the prohibition of producing Port wines outside of Vila Nova de Gaia, the company began to market table wines from Bairrada. At that time, it also started producing natural sparkling wines using the "Champagne" method, and the important role of the French winemaker Gaston Mennesson should be highlighted during this phase.

It begins exporting wines to the Brazilian market and, shortly afterwards, to the Portuguese colonies in Africa. At the end of the 1950s, one of the most celebrated wine brands in the Bairrada region was born – “Frei João” – and, a little later, a brand from the demarcated Dão region, “Porta dos Cavaleiros”.

With the designation "Reserva," pioneered by Caves São João, this company innovates in the wine market by using paper labels coated with natural cork.

Caves São João acquired Quinta do Poço do Lobo, a rustic property of approximately 37 hectares, located in the small town of Pocariça in the municipality of Cantanhede. The farm was then completely replanted with selected and meticulously plotted grape varieties.

With the grapes harvested there, the company began producing the wine “Quinta do Poço do Lobo - Bairrada”, a Bairrada Tinto with grapes of the Baga, Moreto and Castelão varieties; the “Quinta do Poço do Lobo - Cabernet Sauvignon”, a varietal wine with the most prestigious variety in the world; a white wine made with the Arinto variety and the “Espumante Quinta do Poço do Lobo”, a sparkling wine with grapes of the Arinto and Chardonnay varieties.

Today, after several investments in winemaking and quality control, Caves São João is prepared to face future production challenges, always concerned with keeping up with market evolution and the tastes of increasingly demanding and discerning consumers.