Mendes Paulo

After a life in consulting, Paulo embraced the drinks business in the early 2000’s. In 2012 he started Madeira Vinters, the newest Madeira wine producer, and later helped launch Musa, one of the most successful craft breweries in Portugal. In 2019, with his wife Maria, started Vinha Alta | Balancal a small distillery focusing on Madeira terroir driven spirits, namely agricole rhum and fruit eau-de-vies. He is behind the first farm-to -bottle Portuguese whisky to be launched later this year.
He holds a master in wine and spirits from the University of Bordeaux and is a Certified winemaker by the University of California at Davis. For several years he was a jury member of the IWC and the IWSC.