Maria João de Almeida has been licensed in Communication since 1995, having specialized in the area of wines. He was a journalist at TVI and joined the paintings of expresso for more than a decade. She often collaborates with various publications and is a judge of several national and international wine and gastronomy competitions.
She was awarded the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Santo Urbano and São Vicente for her work in the wine sector and, in 2016, received the special award 'Wine Review' by The Passion for Wine Magazine.
She is the author of several books, including 'Memórias do Vinho' (classified as a work of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture), 'Guia do Onoturismo em Portugal' (awarded the Best of the World 2015, at the Gourmand Awards), 'Vinho na Ponta da Língua' and 'Vinho à Mesa' (winner of the 1st Prize 'Book of Wine' 2019, Portugal CookBook Fair promoted by APEL - Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booklets, and BrandScape).
More recently (2021), the book 'Sustainable and Innovative Wine Tourism - Sucess Models from Around the World', in which he collaborated, together with some of the world's leading experts in the wine tourism sector, won the OIV Best Book award in the wine economy category. At the end of the same year, his book '100 Grandes Vinhos de Portugal' won the 'Prata Award' at the Lusophone Creativity Awards, in the editorial design category); and in 2022 he received another 'Silver Award' at the New York Product Design Awards, in the 'Conceptual Packaging' category (in the latter, among the 500 competing international projects, none won the gold award).
In 2009, it launched its website www.mariajoaodealmeida.com, and VinhoTV (the first television channel dedicated to wine on the web, which has since been defunct). For more than a decade she was tap's consultant in choosing the wines on board.He is also a member of the prestigious Confraternity of Port Wine. In 2011 he launched the first Post-Graduation in Marketing of Oenotourism in Portugal, at the Lusophone University, where he still teaches and conferences today. It also holds the 'Certified Port Educator', the most recognized training in Port wine certified by IVDP - Port and Douro Wine Institute.
She is the author of documentaries for television, a trainer of wine courses, speaker of lectures, coordinates premium trips of wine tourism. Since July 2018, she has been a lidl wine consultant.
Founder and Executive President of APENO - Portuguese Association of Enotourism (2020); is also a Delegate from Portugal to GWTO – Global Wine Tourism Organization.