"The world of wine is often perceived as a man's world. However, the work of women, both in the fields and in the industry, has always been very active and present.
Indeed, as women and mothers, we often tend to put forward our children, our brothers, our partners, and our husbands, perhaps due to the admiration that every little girl has for her father. Could it be a genetic transmission, a heritage that is passed down through generations?
In the business world, negotiations are sometimes tough, and the blows can be low; one must be alert and better, offer quality goods and services, and believe in our business and why we created it. I want to believe that commerce is not just a world of trading but also a way to bring something to those who need it and want to have a better time by consuming it.
However, as in almost every scene in the world and in almost every field, women play a very important role. As the saying goes, which today raises (like many others) a lot of questions, "Behind every great man is a woman" – whether she is behind or beside him – women are and have always been present, with a role as important as any human being who possesses a different sensitivity can have.
Let’s not settle for words, let’s analyze semantics, take the time to look further, and together, well-meaning Men and Women, build a better world for future generations.
On our scale and according to our principles, we have come a long way since 2007, bringing to the markets we work with quality products at a fair price, all "Made in Portugal."
Indeed, I am the founder of this company, and I have often employed more women than men, but when the team is mixed, there is a harmony and energy that are different. So, thank you to all the teams who have made "The Sol Ar" what it is today.
Let us remain alert, keep our principles and philosophy, and bring every day an opportunity to toast and raise a glass to Women, Men, and Life!"
Patrícia Pereira Marques
Founder of The Sol Ar, Woman, Mother, a well-meaning and proud Portuguese.
To commemorate the International Women’s Day, we decided to showcase some of the women we work with. While historically winemaking has been a male dominated field, success in wine has not been exclusive to men.
Women have always played an important role in the world of wine, notably in Champagne, where some of the most famous wine houses are named after widows. The most famous of which is Veuve Clicquot (literally translated to Clicquot widow) that revolutionised both the winemaking and the business of Champagne in the early 19th Century, being in charge of the winehouse from 1805 to 1866. Later in the same century Louise Pommery and Mathilde-Emilie Laurent-Perrier would take charge of their respective Champagne houses and bring them to prominence. The trend would continue in the 1900s with Lilly Bollinger, Odette Pol-Roger, and most recently, Carol Duval-Leroy.
In Portugal, a figure similar to that of the Veuve Clicquot, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, also known as Ferreirinha, takes control of the Port House Ferreira in 1844, at the age of 33. Ferreirinha would modernize the winemaking process in her Douro estates by implementing techniques already used in other countries and experimenting with new winemaking methods, particularly, she was a trailblazer in the utilization of grafts to combat the phylloxera. She would also greatly expand the holdings of Ferreira, buying multiple Quintas capable of producing high-quality wines, a lot of the most famous Quintas in the Douro region that are no longer owned by Ferreira (Sogrape) such as Quinta do Vesúvio and Quinta do Vale Meão were owned and brought to prominence by D. Antónia Ferreira. She was also noted for her philanthropy, often building houses, schools, churches and hospitals for the poorer communities in the Douro.
Now, we would like to present you to a few women we work with that are leaving their mark on the industry:
Starting off with Rita Cabral de Almeida & Fonseca from Jardins do Vinho. Born in the Dão region to a family of winemakers, she studied Agronomy in Lisbon, before travelling throughout the world perfecting her craft. After completing her Masters in Wine Business in the University of Paris, she came back to the Dão to start her own project: Jardins do Vinho. With the goal of creating high-quality wines, she surrounds herself with other women wanting to make their mark in the industry, this determination combined with an excellent terroir, emblematic grapes and an extensive knowledge, have so far, proved to be a success. The wines are elegant, sophisticated, and above all, a great representation of the Dão and its traditions.
Patrícia Alves de Sousa graduated from the University of Oporto with a degree in pharmaceutical sciences, an area she would work in until 2013, when she would move to the Douro to work for the family business. As the financial director, she is not only responsible for finances, logistics, exports (particularly in Alves de Sousa’s most important markets) and the general management of the company. In 2014, she also completed a postgraduate degree in Business Administration in the Porto Business School.
In 2014, the Hasson family acquired Quinta do Netto estate, located in the magnificent Douro Valley. This estate covers 7 hectares of vines and 7 hectares of cork oak forest. Committed to an approach that respects the environment and biodiversity, they are turning to biodynamic agriculture. In 2018, they launched their first wine: Isadora, a red wine that is both elegant and powerful. Since then, Helena Hasson has been even more committed, splitting her time between the Douro and Brussels, Quinta do Netto has since released another red (Isadora 2020) and a white wine (Irmãozinho 2022). As her experience as a winemaker grows her projects become more ambitious, we are still at the very beginning of this story.
Quinta do São Bento da Batalha has produced wine for over 300 years, with official records stating that in 1724 wine was already produced in the property, probably starting much earlier than that. Today it produces one wine, Zulmira, named after the woman who chose the property for her part of her parents’ inheritance, wanting to take care of this old and precious place, and so the wine was named after this woman who kept the spirit of the Quinta alive. Today her daughter and granddaughters give continuity to the traditions in this estate and share with you the vibrance, texture and elegance of the Vinho Verde Zulmira. A wine that evolves, showing that Vinho Verdes can also be great wines.
Quinta de Santiago has been owned by the same family since the 19th Century. However, it was in 2009, inspired by the determination and passion for wine that Maria Santiago had, the Quinta de Santiago boutique winery was born, shortly after the family was able to stop selling grapes to other wineries, focusing on their own wines, made by Maria’s granddaughter, Joana Santiago. Joana has since gone from strength to strength, with her own wines gaining recognition as top quality Alvarinho wines that represent the unique complexities of the terroir of Monção and Melgaço, she has also collaborated with other well-known winemakers such as Nuno Mira do Ó, Pedro Coelho and Pedro Ribeiro.
There are a lot more women in Portugal making an impact in the industry such as Filipa Pato, who has committed herself to the region of Bairrada where she produces natural wines with traditional grapes, following in the footsteps of her father, better known as Mr. Baga. Luis Pato is recognized as a winemaker committed to defending his region and this very special grape variety. Filipa Pato and her husband William Wouters, best sommelier in Belgium in 1992 and founder of the famous restaurant "Pazzo" in Antwerp, have passionately dedicated themselves to defending this region and its original grape varieties, offering us elegant wines that are well-suited to today’s gastronomy. Susana Esteban, originally from Spain, she started working as a winemaker in 1999 in the Douro, she has since moved to the Alentejo, where she has flourished as one if the best winemakers in the region. Also starting out in the Douro in 1999, Sandra Tavares, years later, together with her husband founded Wine&Soul, a company that has quickly become a highly regarded winery in Portugal’s most important wine region. Francisca Van Zeller has been making waves by maintaing Van Zellers & Co, the oldest port wine family, at the forefront of the wine industry.
Inês Capão, has been working at Adega do Monte Branco for more than 15 years, harmonizing tradition and innovation in her wines, while working as a team with Luis Louro (owner and winemaker of Adega do Monte Branco). Recently, they decided to launch two wines (in near confidentiality) that they produce individually and with which they seek the best expression of the grape varieties used in their terroir – a very pure approach to interpreting the Estremoz terroir. Discover "Lou" for Louro and "Ca" for Capão, and you will get the duo "Lou Ca," which means crazy in Portuguese.
Finally, we have to at least mention one of the most influential names in the world of wine right now, and for the past decades, Jancis Robinson, a Master of Wine, who in 2003 was awarded the OBE and was the official advisor of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Jancis Robinson visits Portugal regularly and often praises Portuguese wines for their quality, consistently rating them highly.
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