Wine & Soul

It all started with just one ancient wineyard and an old lodge transformed into a wine cellar. The rest was love for wine.

Sandra and Jorge

Jorge was born and raised within the vineyards and valleys of Douro where his family's strong lineage and tradition focused on producing Port wines in their Quintas, family owned estate type farms surrounded by land in the continental Portugal. He belongs to the 5th generation of the family to produce port wines. During his enology studies, he already collaborated with prestigious around the Douro.

Sandra, on the other hand, comes from Lisbon and studied her masters in enology far away in the Italian city of Piacenza. Her heart was always in Portugal, so she returned to Portugal to only place she had never explored - the Douro Valley. That is where she met Jorge and two years later they married and embraced their shared vision - Wine & Soul. Sandra is recognised as the first female winemaker in the region.

Their adventure began in 2001. They started with no vineyards and no wine, but they fully devoted themselves to a tireless search for exceptional vines in the Pinhão Valley, the historic heart of great Port wines. They established their rustic yet innovative winery with a passion to showcase the traditional varieties of the Douro Valley to the world.

The Portfolio

What used to be an old Port lodge is now a reflection of the Douro’s history and tradition. Its grandeur, breadth and richness of the region are reflected in using grapes from an ancient vine growing more than 40 mixed grape varieties.

The first creation was a wine called Pintas. Their goal was a full-bodied wine that showcases the best version of the Douro - wild and vertiginous, the wine was aptly named after the couple's restless English Pointer. Its strength and enthusiasm balanced perfectly for a long and lasting finish.

Starting as a garage wine, coming from a very old vineyard with companion planting where over 40 varieties grow together, Pintas has given way to new varieties in the portfolio.

Their red Pintas Character is a blend of distinct plots that surround the Pintas Vineyard. Their white Guru is produced from ancient high-altitude vineyards.

The most special in their portfolio is the 5G Port Wine, a historical Tawny Port originating from a blend of several very old Port wines, most of them over a hundred years old.

The Estate

Whilst they began with a single vineyard called Pintas, Jorge and Sandra are now owners of several properties. In 2009, they acquired "Quinta da Manoella", a historical estate dating back to 1838.

With a total of 60 hectares of land, only 20 hectares are vineyards. The estate is surrounded by a Mediterranean forest that provides a unique microclimate. The estate's terraced vineyard, constructed using dynamite over a hundred years ago, was the birthplace of Quinta da Manoella Vinhas Velhas which was immediately praised as one of the greatest Douro wines.

Wine & Soul sustains their quality by sourcing their grapes from very old vineyards. Handpicking, low yields and limited production ensure that each bottle showcases the individual character of each particular vineyard and special nature of its terroir. The wines are crafted with minimum intervention to allow nature to take the lead.

“We respect this region’s land, values and traditions by making terroir wines with great aging potential. Today we have much more experience, we understand and know the vineyards much better, which is helpful. But the most important thing is the love and passion we feel for our wines and our company. This is the same as it was back in 2001.” (Wine & Soul)

Olive Oil

With ancient olive trees growing in the estate, the couple ventured into producing their own olive oil. Their trees have had more than 80 years of organic growth behind them. The olives are handpicked, harvested in the last week of October. The gentle and cold extraction process retains all the extra virgin oil's aromatic potential.

Pintas Extra Virgin Olive Oil has beautiful aromas of fresh grass, apple and green banana with an elegant and persistent aftertaste. It boasts a great balance on the palate with black pepper and walnut notes with a trace of bitterness.

Discover Wine & Soul Pintas Olive Oil →