Borges: We’re just scratching the surface in the Douro

Winemakers in the Douro Valley are only just scratching the surface in terms of the potential in the region to make world class dry wines according to Jorge Borges of Wine & Soul.

Speaking to the drinks business during a recent visit to the Douro Valley, Borges said: “The new generation of dry winemakers in the Douro are well travelled and opened minded to new ways of thinking and looking at the past.

“The Douro has huge potential for table wine and there is so much still to discover from the region – we’re only just scratching the surface of the Douro’s potential and the best is yet to come.”

Borges and his wife Sandra Tavares run Wine & Soul, a boutique Douro project focusing on dry wines. Unusually for the region, they export 70% of what they make and are brought into the UK by Corney & Barrow.

Jorge Borges and Sandra Tavares da Silva of Wine & Soul

Having dreamt of making a top dry red from the Douro, their project began in 2001 with purchased fruit from selected sites in the Pinhão Valley and 2003 they bought a steep-sloped vineyard in the Vale de Mendiz planted with 80-year-old vines across thirty varieties.

The grapes are de-stemmed, fermented in traditional concrete lagares and foot-trodden. Top red Pintas is made from the old vine plot and aged predominantly in new French oak for 20 months. Just 5,000 bottles are made each year.

While the wine has depth and concentration, Borges is also seeking finesse. “The Douro reds in the past were too rustic and ripe. Our goal is to make lively, fresh, drinkable wines – a great wine needs to have finesse,” he told db.

He is confident that there is an appetite for Douro table wines outside Portugal. “I’ve just got back from the US and the door is really starting to open there. People are tired of tasting the same things and the quality is really there.

“People are much more open to dry Douro wines now so it’s a good moment to tell the story of our array of native grapes to consumers to show them something new.

“Our native grapes caught the attention of the press a decade ago and now consumers are starting to catch on.

“We have a wealth of old vines in the Douro from which we make field blends from dozens of native grapes. It’s our duty to be different and uphold this tradition and it would be such a waste to throw this opportunity away,” Jorge said.

“The Douro is such an impressive region and I think it’s the most beautiful wine region in the world, but in terms of winegrowing, it’s very difficult.

“It’s astounding that someone even thought to start planting vineyards here in the first place, but it has incredible potential,” Sandra added.