Saravá

Saravá Wine

At De Wijnwinkel, we like to believe that as importers, we are not only responsible for distributing our wines, but also for passing on their stories, some of which have a romantic edge. Such is the story of Miguel and Leli Viseu. Portugal-born winemaker Miguel was travelling the world when he bumped into Leli in southern Brazil. At the time, she was running her own tea and healthy food store there. Soon the two could not live without each other and Leli left her business and homeland behind to travel with Miguel to Cahors, Tuscany and Mozambique.

Eventually, in 2018, the couple ended up in Minho, a region in Portugal known for its Vinho Verde wines. It was there that a childhood friend of Miguel’s offered them an opportunity to make wine from the grapes from his vineyard. In this vineyard, near Ponte De Lima, 20 km from the Atlantic Ocean, this childhood friend grows local grapes such as Loureiro, Trajadura and Espadeiro on granite-rich soil. The − so-called − ‘homeless’ winery Saravá Wine was born.

That name asks for an explanation. As a child, Miguel had a whole family of imaginary friends he called his ‘galactic’ family. In a similar vein, his winery is also the product of his imagination, and thus ‘Galactic’. Their first vintage was such a success that Miguel and Leli continued and expanded their wines in the following years. They named their wines ‘Saravá’, a word from the Brazilian dialect with African roots – referring to their time in both Brazil and Mozambique. Saravá translates to a blessing from Mother Nature and is meant to wish people good luck.   

With Saravá’s wines, we should feel very lucky. The use of stainless steel tanks, chestnut barrels, demijohns and their favoured tinajas (amphorae), preserves the subtlety and fruitiness of their wines. Their wines have structure, without overshooting with tannins and wood use. A method typical for Miguel is the use of ‘condiments’ – or leftover bottoms of wine from previous vintages. This fits entirely with Saravá’s philosophy, which is averse to protocols and is all about spontaneity and making do with what nature has to offer.  

Since 2019, Galactic Wines has been housed in the basement of the posh Paço de Calheiros. Despite this, nothing of Miguel and Leli’s bohemian character has been lost. For example, the couple is always looking for new adventures and Saravá is just one of their many projects. For example, Leli also makes cider, while Miguel is also winemaker at the renowned winery Aphros.