Maria João de Almeida has been a journalist since 1995, specializing in wine. She was a contributor to several magazines, and has worked at TVI television network, having then joined Expresso newspaper for over a decade, where she produced a guide to Portuguese wine routes, and coordinated several features on gastronomy and wine.

From 2006 onward, she has been a contributor to major Brazilian publications such as O Estado de São Paulo, and a member in the panel choosing the best Portuguese wines and restaurants for Veja magazine. She has also been a columnist for TAP airline’s inflight magazine for several years.

Maria João is the editor of Escanção magazine, and member of the International Federation of Wine and Spirit Journalists and Writers, taking part in the panel of several national and international wine and gastronomy contests.

In 2009 she launched www.mariajoaodealmeida.com, an important website on wine, gastronomy and tourism, as well as VinhoTV, the first TV channel devoted to wine on the Internet.

She has written a documentary on the Douro region for national television, and written and hosted a series of programs on Portuguese wine routes.

Maria João is also a trainer on wine-tasting courses, and has taught in the Wine-Tourism Marketing postgraduate degree, at Universidade Lusófona.

 

Besides this guide, she has published two other books: Memórias do Vinho, and 112 Conselhos para Perceber de Vinho.