Portugal’s power couples

The strength of partnership. By Sarah Ahmed

For many couples, living and working in the same space 24/7 during lockdown has been akin to a social experiment – often with less-than-successful results, judging by the spike in divorce rates over the past year. How does one navigate the pitfalls so that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Portuguese wine producers are well versed in the art of blending. For three egalitarian ‘power couples’, the road map was already drawn. Turbocharged communication skills and pooled resources have fuelled the success of millennial labels from Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges (Wine & Soul), Filipa Pato and William Wouters (Pato & Wouters) and Catarina Vieira and Pedro Ribeiro (Herdade do Rocim).

While each couple have arrived at their own blend of roles and rules, there are common threads. For all of them, work is life. ‘It's impossible to have boundaries,’ admits Tavares da Silva. Shared values, bonds of trust and being curious have been cornerstones of success – whether they’re working together or apart. ‘New projects and new opportunities open your mind,’ observes Ribeiro. He has an independent label, Bojador, while Tavares da Silva and Serôdio Borges also have side projects (Crochet and MOB, respectively) with winemaker friends.

Learning together – constantly pushing, improving and supporting one another – has catapulted these 21st-century progressives to the forefront of Portugal’s contemporary wine scene. Here, the sum has been greater than the parts.