In 1933, Clemente da Silva, recently arrived from Brazil, fulfilled his life-long dream of becoming a producer of premium wines that would lead to the international expansion of his business: C. da Silva – an abbreviation of his own name. A year later, he registered the Dalva brand, a contraction of “da Silva”. Simple to pronounce and very Portuguese, the brand achieved rapid success in its different markets.
Seeking an outlet for the profits generated by his Brazilian enterprises, the young entrepreneur took advantage of the close collaboration with the company Corrêa Ribeiro e Filhos, founded in 1862 and owned by his wife’s family, to create his initial stocks and to take his first business steps, producing the famous vintage port wines of 1896, 1912 and 1920.
Based in Vila Nova de Gaia, C. da Silva soon started to expand in every area, achieving high levels of recognition and renown in various world markets. Initially, its main customers were located on the other side of the Atlantic in Brazil, where it had excellent contacts, and the USA, a country of huge strategic importance given its size. The company had over thirty regional offices ensuring distribution of a wide variety of beverages in addition to port wine, such as brandy and naturally sparkling and non-sparkling wines. Others markets, such as Europe and Asia, quickly followed. From Sidney to Honolulu, Luanda to Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo to Rekjavik, alongside other far-flung points of the globe, C. da Silva can today be found on every continent.
Combining age-old know-how and technique with the latest technologies and innovation, the Dalva portfolio is unique and distinctive, presenting an unrivalled selection of vintage port wines that includes unique limited editions, classic vintage ports and an exclusive range of white ports culminating in the aged and dated Golden White and Dry White collection.
