Moonspell founder opens wine bar in Amadora

“The first week is going very well. We already have customers who came here a second time, so they repeated visits. The general feeling is that people are surprised to find a place like this here. The phrase we hear most often is ‘Amadora didn’t have anything like this’. And I’m proud, of course,” confesses João Pedro Escoval, 52, to NiA. “I think it’s 52, I don’t even know anymore,” he says laughing, one of the seven founding members of Moonspell. The band was created in 1989 in Brandoa, still under the name Morbid God, and changed to its current name in 1992.

Music has never ceased to be present in the life of João Pedro, bassist, even after he left the band led by Fernando Ribeiro. “I was there from 1989 to 1996. I recorded the first three albums and we did national and international tours. Then I went to college, to the Universidade Nova to study Philosophy, which has nothing to do with this. After leaving Moonspell, I continued collaborating on other music projects, either solo or in bands,” he recalls.

In September, by the way, a single from a new project he's involved in will be released, he reveals, without giving further details. Although he doesn't make a living from music, it "is much more than a hobby." "I don't know how to live without music." Nor without athletics, for that matter. "I compete every weekend, just yesterday I ran the Monte da Lua Trail in Sintra. I participate every year in the São Silvestre da Amadora race, I've been a member of the ABCD da Brandoa, which is a great club, since I was 15," he lists.

But it's the wine and snacks that led him, along with his wife, Ana Tavares, to open this new wine bar in the Mina market. "What we want is for people to discover the pleasure of wine, to be able to drink a glass here with us and have something to nibble on and share, or take a bottle home," he says.

To accompany the hand-picked selections, there are cold cuts, cheeses, and cured meats. “We also have marinated mackerel and smoked tuna from Vila Real de Santo António. We focus on quality products, all selected by me,” says João Pedro, who started trading wine even before the pandemic.

“Despite being from Amadora, I have roots in Alentejo, family and a house in Moura, and I started going there to get wine and sell it to friends and acquaintances. And that's where the idea came from to, sooner or later, open a space that would bring that business together,” he explains to NiA.

"I believe in the potential of this market."

The opening of the store, which has only now materialized, has a history spanning about three years. “When I saw this space, about three years ago, the market hadn't yet undergone renovations. Then, with the renovations, I became even more interested. But, between our interest, which we expressed to the Mina parish council, the start of the public auction process, and the presentation of the results, it took about three years—and I didn't know if it would go ahead or not, but I didn't give up.”

And he did well, because, he assures, he strongly believes "in the potential of this market, next to Parque Central, near the Amadora train station, the town hall, and the parish council." "Furthermore, I continue to believe that the people of Amadora deserved a different offering from what was available here."

Despite his family roots in the Alentejo region, the musician stocks wines from all over the country in his shop. “Right now, we have wines from Minho to Algarve. I have a special fondness for Alentejo wines, but fortunately we live in a country where wine is now produced in almost every region,” he assures.

João Pedro is happy with the result. “Companhia dos Lobos isn't a sophisticated concept. If you look around, it's a conceptual space: a mix between a fine tavern and a wine bar. It has that rustic touch. Our intention was to open a simple space, without pretension, but with good taste. We didn't want anything pretentious.”

The businessman emphasizes that he is strongly committed to "investing in the development of Amadora." "I know there's always a lot of prejudice about Amadora, especially from people who don't live here, who don't know it, who think it's just full of vandals and indigenous people, and that's not true. Amadora is a large city, it has extraordinary access, it has an incredible network of services. But sometimes the prejudice starts with the people who actually live here."

The founder of Moonspell emphasizes that “there needs to be an effort from everyone here: from politicians, from the inhabitants themselves, and from those who work here. It is clear that around Amadora, Cascais, and Oeiras there is sea and tourism, Sintra is a world heritage site, but Amadora has to find its core, it has to make multiculturalism its strength.”

Wine bar with fair prices.

One of the couple's concerns was finding a balance between quality and prices. Wines by the glass range from €3.50 to €4.50, whether superior or premium. A mixed platter for two costs €14, a roasted chorizo, €8. “These are perfectly normal prices. We try to create a fair price list that stands out. I frequent bars, but the prices we charge aren't those of a bar, because the wine by the glass we serve is of excellent quality. We can't try to win everything at once. We have to conquer the market little by little.”

João Pedro Escoval says he was well received by the other merchants in the market: "They know that a business like this also enhances the market, which is a gem, and that it also brings in new customers."

For now, this Companhia dos Lobos is taking its first steps. “We’re at the beginning, let’s see how it goes. This space is ideal for testing, experimenting, and putting many concepts into practice, but I would very much like to expand this to the Brandoa market—which is the market of the town where I grew up—and even have this presence in the Amadora markets. It would be a way to revitalize the markets and bring more youth to traditional commerce,” he concludes.

Click through the gallery to see more images of João Pedro and Ana's wine bar, and everything you can try there.