APENO Inaugurates Northern Regional Delegation in the Douro

18/12/2025The Portuguese Wine Tourism Association (APENO) continues to take steps forward by opening a new delegation at the Regia Douro Park, reinforcing its institutional presence in the north of the country. The new structure will be led by Paulo Meneses Osório, a recognized figure in the world of wine and wine tourism, consolidating the national expansion strategy of this dynamic association.

Following the recent opening of an APENO Delegation in the Alentejo, it is now the turn of the Northern region to host its own regional structure. The Portuguese Wine Tourism Association announces the creation of the APENO Delegation in the Douro, headquartered at the Regia Douro Park, one of the most relevant business hubs in the region. This opening reinforces APENO’s strategy of proximity and its commitment to increasingly direct support for its members in the North of the country.

The new delegation was presented at a meeting attended by Paulo Meneses Osório, Director of the new APENO Delegation, as well as Nuno Augusto (Director of Regia Douro Park) and Lígia Cruz (Coordinator of Regia Douro Park). The choice of Regia Douro Park strengthens APENO’s strategic positioning within an innovative and dynamic business ecosystem, deeply connected to the development of the Douro, one of the regions of excellence for national wine tourism.

With this opening, APENO takes another step in consolidating its mission: to be close to those who make wine tourism happen and to actively contribute to the sustainable growth of an activity that is now central to the Portuguese wine sector.

For Maria João de Almeida, President of APENO, this expansion represents an important milestone in the path the association has been building: “The opening of the Northern Delegation is not only an institutional gesture that fills us with pride but also an affirmation of APENO’s commitment to a territory that is a major symbol of Portuguese wine tourism. We want to be close, listen to our members, and work with them to develop more professional, integrated, and stronger wine tourism. The Douro deserves this presence, and we will continue to be an active part of its present and its future.”

Paulo Meneses Osório to Head APENO North

The leadership of the Northern Delegation will be assumed by Paulo Meneses Osório, a professional widely recognized in the sector whose career combines technical knowledge, strategic vision, and a deep connection to the territory. An agronomist, Agricultural Economist, MBA in International Business, farmer in the Douro and Trás-os-Montes, businessman, entrepreneur, manager, and ‘Wine & Food Entertainer’, Osório brings a unique profile, marked by personal and professional involvement with the region. “It is an honor to assume the direction of APENO North. The Douro and the North are territories of strong soul and identity, and I want to help project this region’s wine tourism with ambition, authenticity, and pride. I will work to unite people, strengthen projects, and show the country and the world that the North’s wine tourism has its own voice and a promising future,” states Paulo Osório. A native of Minho, Paulo Osório began his academic and professional career in Agronomy, later spending time in Brussels, where he represented the interests of Portuguese farmers with European institutions. In 2000, he returned to the Douro to join the founding of Lavradores de Feitoria – Vinhos de Quinta, SA, a company of which he is a shareholder. Between 2006 and 2008, he held strategic roles at the Adega Cooperativa de Peso da Régua, and between 2008 and 2011, he was Vice-President of the IVDP – Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto. He is currently an administrator at Porto Réccua Vinhos, SA, with responsibility for the Marketing, Sales, and Wine Tourism areas.

With the opening of this delegation, APENO now has an active and permanent structure in one of the most emblematic regions of the country – the Douro – ensuring specialized support, proximity, and coordination with local entities, producers, and sector agents.

APENO thus consolidates its national project, promoting the development of wine tourism with quality, professionalism, and strategic vision, bringing the sector ever closer to the communities and territories that give it its identity.