Pintas character 2022
Region: Douro
Producer: Wine & Soul
Why we chose this wine
Wine and Soul was founded in 2001 by Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges, both winemakers and couple, who invested and acquired old vineyards and properties in the Pinhão Valley in Cima Corgo.
"Our aim is to create wines that express all the character of the traditional vineyards and grape varieties of the Douro Valley. Wines balanced between concentration, complexity and elegance".
They chose a 100-year-old vineyard in the Pinhão Valley (Vale de Mendiz). This south-facing plot is ideally situated to produce the powerful and intense red wine style imagined by Sandra and Jorge. Pintas was born.
A white wine followed shortly afterwards. The Guru grapes come from a vineyard over 50 years old located in the extreme north of the Douro and produce a spicy and full-bodied white wine.Sandra and Jorge also took the family-owned Quinta da Manoella under their wing.
In the wines they produce here, it is the extraordinary elegance that is particularly striking. Manoella also gives grapes for a very confidential Port production.
The bouquet is powerful and rich, with notes of raspberries, black cherries and plums. The palate is marked by fruit, the tannins are velvety, giving a long and fresh finish.
"Our aim is to create wines that express all the character of the traditional vineyards and grape varieties of the Douro Valley. Wines balanced between concentration, complexity and elegance".
They chose a 100-year-old vineyard in the Pinhão Valley (Vale de Mendiz). This south-facing plot is ideally situated to produce the powerful and intense red wine style imagined by Sandra and Jorge. Pintas was born.
A white wine followed shortly afterwards. The Guru grapes come from a vineyard over 50 years old located in the extreme north of the Douro and produce a spicy and full-bodied white wine.Sandra and Jorge also took the family-owned Quinta da Manoella under their wing.
In the wines they produce here, it is the extraordinary elegance that is particularly striking. Manoella also gives grapes for a very confidential Port production.
The bouquet is powerful and rich, with notes of raspberries, black cherries and plums. The palate is marked by fruit, the tannins are velvety, giving a long and fresh finish.
| Volume | 75.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | old plots with more than 30 grape varieties, including Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional |
| Drinking window | 2025-2032 |
| Alc. | 14.5% |
| Vinification | The grapes are crushed and fermented in lagares for about ten days. |
| Ripening | The malolactic fermentation and ageing is carried out in French oak barrels for 18 months. |
Waar serveer je ’m bij?
It began as Pintas's second wine and has grown into a bottle with a face of its own. Foot-trodden in open vats, eighteen months in partly new casks — that new wood sets the firmer tannin of the pair. Powerfully built, but with the concern for balance that marks the estate, which is why it already works at the table while young.
Drie gerechten die werken
Grilled picanha with coarse salt
Beef ribs from the oven
Lechazo asado — roast milk-fed lamb from Castile
Beef ribs from the oven
Lechazo asado — roast milk-fed lamb from Castile
Vegetarisch
Grilled aubergine with harissa and coriander
Minder geschikt bij
Raw preparations and delicate fish. Do not serve it too warm either: above eighteen degrees the alcohol steps forward.
Voor de Portugees geïnspireerde kok
Secretos de porco preto na brasa — the 'secret' cut of black pork over charcoal
Serveren op 16–17 °C
What the critics say
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
92/ 100
Published 17-04-2025
Drink: 2025–2029
Drink: 2025–2029
“The creamy and juicy red 2022 Pintas Character was produced with field blends from old vineyards, fermented in lagar, foot trodden and matured in used French oak barrels for 18 months. A velvety, spicy and showy modern Douro red showing the character of the year but with a contained 13.5% alcohol and balancing acidity. It shows no heat at all. It's drinking well already. 29,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2024.”
— Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The producer
Wine & Soul
Wine and Soul started in 2001 as the life's work of Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges, both winemakers and then newlyweds. They were determined to make high-level wine and almost immediately succeeded in gaining international recognition for their wine.
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