
Female winemakers are rare in Portugal. Though many women train at the oenology schools, they have been more likely to work at city-based laboratories or research facilities than wineries located outside of major towns. But a new cohort has transitioned to cellar life, and like other distinguished winemakers around the globe, they bring innovative approaches to vineyard management and wine styles through meticulous standards, attention to detail and experimentation.
Rita Ferreira Marques, owner and winemaker of Conceito Vinhos, talks about the “attention to the smallest detail” and how “everything has to be perfect” when starting new projects. Sandra Tavares da Silva, co-owner and winemaker at Wine & Soul, says that she loves to make white wine, “where everything is so delicate and fragile,” and where terroir is better expressed than in red wines.
All of the winemakers profiled here came to their practice through familial connections, as well as their own inherent love of wines and vines.
Some of their families have grown grapes for generations. Julia de Melo Kemper’s family has had vines in the Dão for 150 years. Filipa Pato’s father, Luís, is a major winemaker in the Bairrada. Ana Rosas’s family founded Ramos Pinto in Oporto in 1880.
These winemakers share another unmistakable trait, too: a fierce attachment to their land. No matter how each arrived at that place, they strive to showcase their home in every glass of wine they create.
1Sandra Tavares da Silva
2Filipa Pato
3Julia de Melo Kemper
4Rita Ferreira Marques
5Ana Rosas