I dedicate my Master thesis to a group of inspiring people, whose values have guided and will continue to guide not only my still short career, but also at a personal level. I'm proud of the man I became and who I am today, thanks to those people.
I offer these pages to all Portuguese citizens; to each and everyone in a patriotic appreciation for all the moments that I have lived and shared and as recognition of our unique culture and recognition by all people.
For all of them, thank you.
Saudade! An overused word in the Portuguese language that describes the mixture of feelings of lack, distance, loss, and love. A difficult word to translate into another language, but I felt it and went over it, thanks to the affection, availability, collaboration and support of a group of very special people. This work was only possible thanks to the collaboration of a large number of people to whom I leave here the expression of my gratitude.
I begin by thanking my family; my heroes and idols. Those who inspire me daily and are the pillar of my strength. To you, my family, to whom I owe the courage to move forward, to travel, to know and to learn. Physical distance was difficult to overcome, but your support and strength was essential to resist the nostalgia that was trying to make me give up. I leave also an embrace of eternal gratitude to my grandfather, Joaquim Gonçalves Pires, my father and grandfather, for the values that he instilled in me and his persistent guidance throughout life.
Thanks also to my friends, the family that, according to the popular saying, we choose over a lifetime, and that I had the privilege of meeting the five continents: the Portuguese family, because they are my heart and soul; the Argentine family, for the first time I got the courage to explore the world; the Australian family, for the adventure; the United States family, for the friendliness and the fun; the South Africa family, which has conquered my heart and made me dream bigger; and finally, the French family, who taught me so much. I leave here my gratitude, especially because they are my motivators, for guiding me on the path I have travelled and for helping me to strive for success. I hope to give back the wonderful moments that we have gone through together.
I also want to thank Mafalda Fernandes Vasques Rodrigues, for the comforting hug I received after the death of my grandmother, a particularly difficult time of my life, and that lit my way and gave rise to a feeling of deep friendship and respect. Thank you:
To my two great friends Diogo Felipe Marques Figueiredo and Vasco Felipe Andrade Moura Martins Ribeiro, to whom I wish to express my deepest appreciation for all their friendship and the way they learned to share a bit of their personality, determination and inspiration.
It is with affection I also thank the three women of my life, my female models and large responsible for the love and respect that I nourish for the human being. There are no women like you in the world, Isabel Gonçalves Pires, Maria do Rosário Caetano Gonçalves Ramos and Magnólia Isabel Gonçalves Ramos. Your education, love, guidance and words of encouragement were essential to taking forward this work in the most difficult moments.
The completion of this work is also due to the contribution of the directors of the magnificent OIV MSc master degree, Michel Bourqui and Nicolas Goldschmidt, for the opportunity they accorded me by integrating me in this unique training in the world, and to whom I want to express my sincere acknowledgements.
Finally, thank you to the Portuguese people. I am honoured to be Portuguese and I thank everyone who, every day, in this country or outside it, contribute to keep alive our language, tradition and honour.
In this work I expose several ideas for the appreciation of wines from Portugal to economic agents of the whine alcohol sector. After getting to know other realities in the world, I noticed the opportunity for the Portuguese wines to gain market on several continents and justify their importance by the various characteristics that they present and which give them value and quality.