History of Portuguese wine country unfavorable for viticulture, making the country a ready market for imported wines; its proximity to France, made French wines a natural source. At times the supply was threatened by political and military conflicts between the English and French crowns. New sources had to be found such as the wines of Portugal. Documents exist detailing Portuguese wine shipments from the Minho region to England occurring as early as the 12th century. These wines, including those from the wet northern region of modern-day Vinho Verde, were often light and astringent with noticeable acidity. Despite the new source, the variety of French
Ellis Verdi manager for PepsiCo working on the different diet brands and Mountain Dew accounts. In 1984, Verdi became vice president of account management for the Grey Group where he stayed for four years before founding DeVito/Verdi in 1988. In 1988 the origin of the DeVito/Verdi agency was opened as Follis & Verdi by Ellis Verdi and John Follis, partner and creative director. In 1991, DeVito joined the firm as a second partner and creative director and the name becomes Follis/DeVito/Verdi. In the fall of 1991, Verdi came under criticism for running a print ad for a discount clothier named Daffy's that