Andresen is one of the few 100% family-owned Portuguese Port Houses. Jann Hinrich Andresen was born in Oevenum on the Friesen island of Föhr in 1825. Aged 14, he left his home and set sail for Porto as the youngest member of the crew. Moored in Porto, the 14 year-old Jann Hinrich was left in charge of the ship, but he decided to make some money by inviting locals to inspect a polar bear skin onboa
rd. The captain returned, and furiously chased Jann Hinrich through the streets of Porto. Jann Hinrich hid, the ship sailed away, and he was left behind in Porto, with no knowledge of the language. Jann Hinrich’s first job was working in a lamp shop, but passionate by wine he was. In 1845 he founded the Port House, which still bears his name. His business interests grew and by 1890 he was one of the wealthiest men in Portugal. In 1942, the Andresen heirs, confronted with the economic crisis of World War II, considered selling the business. Albino Pereira dos Santos, already a well established figure in the Port circles, was attracted by Andresen’s precious Old Port stocks and decided to buy the company. By 1958 he owned five Port Houses, of which Andresen was the most important. His knowledge as a blender and passion for Port served to reinvigorate Andresen’s premium stock. After Albino’s sudden death in 1962, his son Mário Ruy Flores dos Santos continued the family business. Throughout the years he invested all he could in the finest wines he could produce or get, with the sole purpose of reinforcing Andresen stocks. In the late Eighties, he decided to dedicate his efforts exclusively to Andresen and spend all his efforts exclusively to Andresen and spend all his working hours there. The time had come to start completing what he had dreamed of- taking premium to a higher level.
