Sandra Tavares da Silva & Jorge Serôdio Borges ‘We have grown together; you cannot learn and improve without being open and humble’ --------------------------- Sandra Tavares da Silva
Wine & Soul
Not only were Sandra Tavares da Silva (an intern at Quinta Vale D Maria) and Jorge Serôdio Borges (employed by Niepoort) new to winemaking, but they were at the vanguard of modern Douro winemaking when they met in 1999. Serôdio Borges was stunned by the intern-cum-model from Lisbon who loved this rugged, remote region of his birth. Bonding over their shared conviction on the Douro’s potential, they talked about making a wine together from day one.
It was a heady time, explains Tavares da Silva, tasting widely with other young winemakers from around the world. Serôdio Borges recalls: ‘We realised Douro wines didn’t have the same finesse, fruit or balance as Italian or French wines.’ It motivated them to ‘go to another level, keeping a classic style, but with some modernity’, explains Tavares da Silva.
Marrying in 2001, the couple’s dream came true that year when they bought an old cellar. Next, they found the perfect site to realise their vision: Pintas vineyard, in Vale de Mendiz. Serôdio
Borges negotiated a loan, enabling the cashstrapped pair to acquire Pintas in 2003.
Everyone said they were crazy and that it was too expensive, remembers Tavares da Silva, the marketeer, but the couple were unafraid to position their brooding, richly fruited, powerful red among the Douro’s best. A pact to reinvest profits and continue making wine for others helped them pursue other goals, including making Pintas Vintage Port.
Since 2004, several elevated, old-vine parcels in Porrais have produced Wine & Soul Guru, an exceptional Douro white, recently joined by Guru NM, an innovative non-vintage iteration. In 2009, Wine & Soul inherited Quinta da Manoella, from which it produces an elegant red and a tawny Port.
Since 2015 and 2019 respectively, Tavares da Silva and Serôdio Borges have focused on Wine & Soul, now with 15 staff. There have been no major disagreements, they say. Rather, says Tavares da Silva: ‘We have grown together; you cannot learn and improve without being open and humble.’ They have a big support network, divide up ▶
markets and travel one at a time, while the other looks after their three children and household.
Making wine hand-in-glove, Serôdio Borges believes that ‘different perspectives and sensitivities help us achieve another level’. As for the business of wine, Tavares da Silva describes her husband as more adventurous.
Serôdio Borges is quick to credit ‘the ground under my feet’ – the bedrock of mutual trust and respect without which, he admits: ‘I could not have accepted the challenges and investment… It has been very important to have the same philosophy, goals and passion.’ Wine & Soul, Guru NM, Douro NV 97 £67.75 Corney & Barrow
A tremendously powerful, profound blend of select barrels of Guru, from 2010, 2013 and 2015. Well structured, mineral and flinty with a citrus core like this producer’s vintage wines. Unfurling layers of crushed stone, lanolin, snuffed candle and a touch of raw honeycomb torrefaction and vanilla bean to its spicy grapefruit and lime peel centre. Just 1,599 bottles were made. Drink 2021-2026 Alcohol 12% Wine & Soul, Guru, Douro 2019 96 £31.75 Corney & Barrow
Pale with green glints and signature struck match, spicy coriander seed, curry powder and flint to nose and palate. Rapier-like acidity informs the precise delivery. Racy lime mingles with notes of lime blossom and zest, quinine, crushed oyster shell, talc and green tea. Exceptionally mineral. A consistently outstanding, terroir-driven Douro white from several old field blend parcels. Drink 2021-2031 Alc 12.5% Wine & Soul, Manoella Tinto, Douro 2018 92 £16.20-£18.75 Corney & Barrow, Tanners
Dusty petrichor and savoury oak nuances to the predominantly red-fruited palate, with redcurrant, a touch of tart rhubarb, softer red berry, juicy blood plum and sweet blueberry notes. Well-integrated cedar oak (used) and grainy tannins. Lingering riffs of pine needle, floral notes, black pepper and red liquorice. From younger, 38-year-old vines, foottrodden in stone lagares. Drink 2021-2025 Alc 14% Wine & Soul, Pintas Vintage Port, Douro 2018 96 £70 (2017) Tanners
Dark, inky and muscular as ever, showcasing this 88-year-old vineyard’s concentrated, glossy dark currant and berry fruit to great effect. Violets, Earl Grey, crystallised ginger and liquorice notes bring detail and lift. Searing acidity lends impressive drive, definition and length, buoying the fruit. The plume of spicy, sooty, mineral tannins bodes well for ageing. 2,000 bottles made. Drink 2028-2048 Alc 20%