Fernando Van Zeller Guedes was born on 4 February 1903 in the parish of Massarelos in the municipality of Porto in Portugal.

[1][2] In 1942, Guedes, his brothers and others, founded the Sociedade Comercial dos Vinhos de Mesa de Portugal, the forerunner of Sogrape, now Portugal's largest wine producer, in order to address marketing difficulties for Portuguese wine caused by World War II.

Prior to the war, the Douro region was primarily a producer of Port wine, for which the United Kingdom was a major market.

Guedes thought that a picture of the palace would make an attractive label for his wine and approached the Count for his permission.

The races were attended by Queen Elizabeth II, who reportedly later asked for the wine to be served at an event at the Savoy Hotel in London.