Galactic Wine, “Saravá Loureiro” 2019

Producer Profile: Galactic is an exciting new project from one of the up-and-comers in the world of low-intervention wine. Miguel & Leli Viseu are the folks behind the micro-negociant project headed up in the northernmost winemaking region of Portugal, an area known as the Minho (named after a river) within the larger Vinho Verde area. Galactic is essentially an offshoot, a side-personal project of the Viseus as Miguel has been working for 5 years as the head winemaker at the legendary Aphros estate – the brainchild of one of the biodynamic-farming pioneers, Vasco Croft. Cutting his teeth at such a winery has been a capstone of global wine education: throughout his twenties, Miguel traveled the world working for periods of time at wineries both large and small in Napa, Burgundy, Tuscany, Cahors & even Brazil. Perfectly situated to experiment, the wines of Galactic are at the moment seeking what potential lies within the typical grapes of the Minho: Loureiro & Trajadura. Given the small-scale size of the project, they can really hone in on a granular-level of expression with these grapes, tease out all of their subtleties. It’s an endeavor that really does feel like it’s looking for something new within something otherwise so familiar. It’s hoping through its chase of the subtle and precise, to show you something enormous, or rather, something galactic.

Vinification & Tasting Notes: Portugal. 100% Loureiro. Grapes are hand-harvested from vines in the process of organic conversion, followed by destemming and 36 hours of skin maceration. The juice is pressed off into stainless steel to ferment with wild yeasts and then aged in a mixture of steel, old oak, and amphora. Unfined, unfiltered with a touch of SO2. Medium-bodied, with ripe yellow tropical fruits and a salty finish.