Meet the Winemaker
Jorge Serodio Borges & Xito Olazabal
Leitao is delighted to present a series of prix fixe 4 course dinner and wine pairing events, offering guests the rare opportunity to meet renowned winemakers behind some of Portugal’s finest wines paired with a bespoke menu from Chef Nuno Sousa.
Tuesday Oct 14th 8:00 to 11:00pm.
$160 tax & tip included
Jorge Serodio Borges
Jorge Serôdio Borges was born into a family with deep roots in the Douro Valley wine sector for five generations. These roots explain how, unsurprisingly, he later became a winemaker. Even during his university days, Jorge worked on his family’s estates, Quinta do Fojo and Quinta da Manoella. In 1996 he completed his university degree in Oenology and then began to work full time as the winemaker at his family’s estates. In 1999, he left the family business to join Niepoort in the production of their Douro and Port wines. There he had the opportunity to develop ambitious projects alongside Dirk Niepoort. In 2001, he founded Wine & Soul along with his wife Sandra Tavares da Silva – their first project as a couple. In 2004, he assumed the winemaking responsibilities for Quinta do Passadouro and Quinta de Maritávora. In 2011, together with fellow Douro Winemakers and university classmates Francisco Olázabal and Jorge Moreira, he launched the M.O.B. wine project in the Dão region.
Wine & Soul
Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges began their adventure in 2001. To begin with, this young couple had no vineyards and no wine, but they shared adream, a personal project to which they have devoted themselves body and soul. The name Wine & Soul is the product of their passion and total commitment towine. From the start, the work of this company has focused on a tireless search for exceptional vines in the Pinhão valley, the historic heart of the great Port wines,and on giving them voice. Their philosophy has been based on respect for the family legacy passed down by the long winemaking tradition of the Douro Valley.
It is not limited to simply accepting this noble inheritance: it also seeks to enhance it with its young vision. In a sincere acknowledgement of Douro terroir, it focuses on single vineyard production, in which each wine assumes its own identity, reflecting the vineyards that birth it. Year after year, the intimate knowledge of each parcel is deepened and the vinification process is perfected in detail, achieving a standard of unique quality. Following the principle that “wine is the result of a combination of varied details,” at Wine & Soul all the steps in its creation are the focus of the greatest attention, from activities in the vineyard to the quality of the labels. Today, Wine & Soul’s wines are the result of the dedicated work of Jorge Serodio Borges and Sandra Tavares da Silva and the passion they have for the Douro.
Francisco de Olazabal y Nicolau de Almeida (“Xito”)
Francisco de Olazabal y Nicolau de Almeida (“Xito”) is one of Portugal’s most respected winemakers. He is known for his work at Quinta do Vale Meão and other wineries in the Douro Valley. As a descendant of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, he continues a family winemaking legacy in the region. He is the great-great-great-grandson of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, a key figure in Douro Valley’s history. He is also the grandson of Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, the creator of the legendary Barca Velha wine. His father, Francisco “Vito” Olazabal, the former president of Casa Ferreira, acquired the Quinta do Vale Meão estate from numerous family members during the 1980’s and 90’s to establish one of Portugal’s leading wineries. As a child, Xito told a writer from National Geographic that he wanted to be an oenologist, or wine expert. Xito produces refined and elegant wines in the Douro Superior, a region known for richer styles. He often uses earlier picking and less extraction to achieve balance and freshness. His work has received recognition from the world’s leading wine press, including being named “Winemaker of the Year” by the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos.
Quinta do Vale Meão
In 1877, Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, proprietor of the largest winemaking estate in the Douro region, acquired 300 hectares of undeveloped land at auction from the Vila Nova de Foz Côa municipality. Her vision was to establish a model vineyard from the ground up, drawing on the extensive expertise she had gained over a lifetime as a Douro landowner. This ambitious endeavor spanned eight years, from 1887 to 1895. Since its completion, the estate has remained under the stewardship of her descendants. In the 1970s, her great-great-great-grandson, Francisco Javier de Olazabal, assumed management responsibilities and embarked on the meticulous process of consolidating ownership by purchasing shares held by relatives and other co-owners. By 1994, he and his children became the sole proprietors of the Quinta. Prior to this, the estate’s grapes were sold to A.A. Ferreira S.A., the company founded by Dona Antónia’s descendants, where they contributed to the production of some of its finest wines. This relationship continued until 1998, when Francisco Javier de Olazabal stepped down as Managing Director of A.A. Ferreira S.A. to focus, alongside his oenologist son Francisco de Olazabal y Nicolau de Almeida, on producing, aging, and marketing wines from the Quinta through a newly established company, F. Olazabal & Filhos Lda. Currently, Francisco, Luísa, and Jaime are actively involved in the company’s management, each fulfilling distinct roles while sharing a common passion for winemaking. With each harvest, they honor tradition while embracing innovation. The entire Olazabal family is dedicated to sustaining Dona Antónia’s legacy, ensuring Vale Meão remains a model estate for generations to come.
Meet the Winemaker Dinners at Leitao
These exclusive gatherings will be hosted in Leitao’s intimate cellar space, allowing guests unparalleled access to the winemakers in a truly unique setting.
Chef Nuno Sousa will craft a bespoke menu for each event, thoughtfully designed to complement and enhance the distinctive flavors of the featured wines.
Tickets are non-refundable; however, if you provide at least two weeks’ notice before the event, we can reschedule your booking for a future date. In the case of a medical or other emergency less than two weeks before the event, we may offer a 50% refund in the form of an e-gift card that may be used to dine with us, evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In the event of a no-show, neither refunds, gift card nor rescheduling will be provided.
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