Porto Cálem was founded in 1859 by António Alves Cálem who, taking advantage of the commercial freedom regime in the Douro wine area, soon turned his commercial intentions to the other side of the ocean - Brazil.
"Cálem's initial business was to ship Portuguese table wine to Brazil. To avoid empty boats coming back to Portugal, they used to bring back wood for casks and this resulted in the building up of the cooperage company, which in turn led them to storing and maturing port. They thus became port shippers by accident rather than design. "(Howkins, 1982, 84).
With this new market, at a time when exports to England were the most privileged, the company developed trade in Port Wine with exotic woods, which is the driving force of the company that has not known any frontier since. In order to ensure the Company's family continuity, he made his son, António Alves Cálem Júnior, a partner in the company, changing his corporate name to AA Cálem & Filho. SAAA Cálem Júnior knew how to continue his father's dedication and dedication by dedicating himself wholeheartedly to company. He quickly became a successful businessman as well as a remarkable citizen reaching the top civilian positions, always demonstrating intelligence in his projects and altruism in his actions. In the year of his death, in 1932, A. A. Cálem Junior leaves to his children a company that enjoys enviable stability. The generations to come have always honored their name by working hard for the growing world-wide projection of the company never neglecting its base, always working with the wine and guaranteeing the quality of a unique product in the world. In 1998, Porto Cálem was acquired by the Sogevinus - Fine Wines Group, a company with the capacity to continue the work of many years, remaining with the objective of taking this precious nectar created with such rigor and affection to new horizons, continuing the tradition through the knowledges of the past allied to the new technologies of the present, always with the intention of doing more and better.
