Art Creates Beautiful Wines and Inspires Our Mission
Wine, Art & Charity
Our Mission
We’re not only passionate about wine. We are keen sponsors of the visual arts and give back to the community by supporting the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF).
SAF uses art prizes to raise funds to assist under privileged children using art classes as therapy and rehabilitation giving children a chance in life when they would otherwise have little or none.
Click Here to learn more about the Sovereign Art Foundation.
LABEL ART
Our labels are artworks in themselves. Many of the labels were designed by winners of the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) prize in the year the wine was bottled. Others feature the artworks of world famous artists.
Our People
Our people are passionate about winemaking and have the expertise and vision to create wines which are truly exceptional.
Howard Bilton
Co-Founder & Entrepreneur
Howard is a businessman from Yorkshire now living in Hong Kong, an enthusiastic wine lover and admirer of Portugal’s wines especially from the Alentejo region.
In 2002 he joined forces with David to create wines that express the best characteristics of the terroir and grape varietals.
As the “Howard” of Howard’s Folly, he is the driving force behind the enterprise, with a vision to promote not just our wines, but the wines of the Alentejo and Portugal to a wider global audience.
David Baverstock
Co-Founder & Chief Winemaker
David has decades of experience, technical skill & creativity. He is celebrated as the pioneer of modern winemaking in Portugal and is the only non-Portuguese national to win Winemaker of the Year – not once, but twice - in 2013 and 2015.
His contribution to the wine industry was uniquely recognized by the President of Portugal with the award of the Comendadorda Ordemdo Mérito Empresarial.
He is passionate about innovation, quality and unlocking the unique characteristics that each vintage offers.
Cristina Francisquinho
Vineyard Manager
One of the Alentejo’s best known and most respected viticulturists, Cristina was born in Portalegre.
After completing her degree in Agricultural Sciences, she worked for various grape producers and was Director of a production cooperative winery.
Her mission is to enhance the vineyards by application of sustainable agricultural and environmental practices to improve productivity and grape quality to facilitate the production of wines of excellence.
Dani King Managing Director Pedro FurrielWinemaker Sara EirasAdministration Manager Tom BiltonEuropean Sales Manager Dani King Managing Director
Dani has a post-graduate qualification in Human Resources and extensive business experience working for global manufacturing, engineering and logistics organizations. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge in project management, communications, health and safety as well as human resources.
Enthusiastic about wine, although new to the industry, she is a passionate convert to Portuguese wine, and the wines of the Alentejo in particular.
Pedro FurrielWinemaker
Pedro comes from a winemaking family and graduated in Oenology at UTAD in 2014. From early on in his career he has divided his time between the Alentejo and the Douro where he was born, exploring and expanding his knowledge of the industry. He also went to New Zealand to learn from winemakers there.
Pedro sees winemaking as an art which challenges him to interpret each vintage to create wines which express the best that nature provides.
He never forgets our customers and aims to enhance their well-being as they sit down to enjoy Howard’s Folly with a meal.
Sara EirasAdministration Manager
Sara graduated from University of Lusofona Humanidades em Tecnologias in clinical psychology. Her career started working with the elderly before transitioning to payroll and accounting.
She joined Howard’s Folly in 2012 and is responsible for all admin and accounting for the company.
Sara’s lively curiosity about wines has lead her to expand her knowledge by studying for WSET II (Wine Spirit and Education Trust).
Tom BiltonEuropean Sales Manager
Tom started his career in the art world working for White Cube and then as an artist’s assistant. He then changed industries to work in events management and worked on BBC Countryfile Live.
Tom has always had a passion for food and wine, honed through his experience of working for his mother, a chef. He jumped at the chance of working in the wine industry and currently runs European Sales for Howard’s Folly.