Wine & Soul is an independent Douro producer based in Vale de Mendiz in the Pinhão Valley. The company was founded in 2001 by winemakers Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges. Unlike many historic Port houses, Wine & Soul did not begin as a merchant shipper but as the personal wine project of two winemakers. Its starting point was Pintas, a small old field-blend vineyard containing more than 40 traditional Douro varieties planted together.
Wine & Soul became best known for dry Douro wines but also maintains the Port tradition of the Pinhão Valley. Today the Port portfolio includes Manoella Ruby and Tawny, mature Tawny and White Ports, Pintas Vintage Port and 5G, a very old Tawny from family stocks. The house therefore combines old mixed vineyards, small-scale terroir and modern, highly personal winemaking.
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founders / owners | Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges |
| Headquarters / winery | Av. Júlio de Freitas, Vale de Mendiz Nº186, 5085-101 Pinhão |
| Region | Douro, Cima Corgo, Pinhão Valley |
| Key vineyards | Pintas, Quinta da Manoella and other old parcels |
| Quinta da Manoella | 60 ha total area, around 20 ha vineyards |
| Manoella history | Family history since 1838; five generations in the Serôdio Borges family; integrated into Wine & Soul in 2009 |
| Notable Ports | Pintas Vintage Port, Manoella 10 Years Tawny, Manoella 20 Years Tawny, Manoella White Ports, 5G |
| Website | https://wineandsoul.com/ |
Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges founded Wine & Soul in 2001. Both already had professional experience in Portuguese wine but wanted their own project focused on expressing the old vineyards of the Douro as directly as possible. The first wine was Pintas. Its name came from the family dog, but the vineyard itself was more important to the development of the estate: a very old mixed parcel in Vale de Mendiz containing more than 40 traditional varieties.
The range expanded gradually in the early years. Pintas Character was created from several parcels around the Pintas vineyard, while Guru was developed as a white wine from old vines at higher altitude. Wine & Soul therefore established early on a model based not on large-volume brands but on small origins, old vineyards and the work of its two winemakers.
A decisive step came in 2009 with Quinta da Manoella. The estate belongs to the family history of Jorge Serôdio Borges and is traced to 1838. According to Wine & Soul, it has been in the family for five generations. The roughly 60 ha property contains about 20 ha of vineyards; much of the remaining land consists of Mediterranean woodland and other crops. Some of the mixed vineyards are more than 100 years old.
With Manoella, Wine & Soul expanded both its dry-wine production and its access to historical Port stocks. 5G refers directly to this family history. The name stands for five generations; the wine is a very old Tawny assembled from old Ports, many of which the producer says are more than 100 years old.
The vineyards are concentrated in the Cima Corgo and especially the Pinhão Valley around Vale de Mendiz. Wine & Soul describes old vines as central to the project. Many parcels are traditional field blends in which numerous indigenous varieties grow together. This differs from modern single-variety blocks and creates grape blends already in the vineyard.
Quinta da Manoella covers 60 ha but has only about 20 ha of vines. Surrounding Mediterranean woodland shapes the landscape and contributes to varied microclimates. Old parcels are in some cases more than 80 or 100 years old. The Pintas vineyard is also an old mixed planting and provides the basis for both dry Pintas and Pintas Vintage Port.
The official philosophy emphasises low intervention and preservation of old vines. Supplementary specialist sources describe hand harvesting and traditional foot treading in granite lagares as part of the approach for suitable wines. The key principle is less a single technical recipe than adapting work to individual parcels and their ripening.
Port is not the largest part of Wine & Soul's production, but it is an important element of the estate's identity in historic Port country. Manoella Ruby Port and Manoella Tawny Port provide the more accessible styles, joined by Manoella 10 Years Tawny and Manoella 20 Years Tawny.
The white Ports are notable. Wine & Soul lists Manoella 10 Years White and a 10 Years Dry White, exploring mature white Port in two different taste profiles. These wines complement the fruit-focused Ruby styles and oxidatively matured Tawnies.
Pintas Vintage Port is the principal classic Vintage expression of the house. It comes from the same old terroir that established the Pintas name. Because the parcel is small, production is naturally limited and strongly dependent on the conditions of each vintage.
The most unusual bottling is 5G. It links the modern company to the five-generation winegrowing history of the Serôdio Borges family. The blend consists of very old Ports; Wine & Soul states that most components are more than 100 years old. It comes from historical family reserves and is therefore a special very old Tawny rather than a standard age category.
Wine & Soul reflects the transformation of the Douro since the turn of the millennium. Alongside the large Port houses, smaller winemaker-led estates emerged that reinterpreted both dry Douro wine and Port from the same historic vineyard landscape. Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges belong to this generation.
The distinctive profile comes from the combination of Pintas and Quinta da Manoella. Pintas represents a small, very old terroir with great varietal diversity; Manoella contributes deeper family history, broader landscape diversity and old Port stocks. Together they define the identity of the house.
The Port range also differs from the structure of a classic shipper. Rather than producing every category, Wine & Soul concentrates on selected styles closely tied to its own vineyards and family history. Pintas Vintage and 5G are the clearest examples.