<p>Originally from the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> Miguel Viseu spent the better part of his twenties travelling around the world learing the craft of winemaking. After stints in <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Napa Valley" title="1421">Napa</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Cahors" title="219">Cahors</glossary> and Brazil, he felt confident in his skills and decided to pursue his longtime dream of living in Africa. After working in Mozambique for three years for a large company, wine was once again calling. So Miguel and his wife Leli decided to move back to Portugal.</p>
<p>The plan was originally to work for a large, mainstream <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> producer and make wines independently on the side. When that fell through, Miguel decided to take over an abandoned winery in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and start his own <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But five days before his return to Portugal, a friend tipped him off that Vasco Croft, the owner of <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> pioneer <a href="https://aphros-wine.com/en/">Aphros</a>, was looking for a head winemaker. A minute into the interview, both parties agreed to work together.</p>
<p>Miguel has been the head winemaker at Aphros as of the 2017 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Around the same time, he'd originally been approached by a friend to help out on another project, but the prospect seemed like too much at the time. But by the end of 2018, Miguel felt up to the task; after setting up his garage to make his friend's wine, he and Leli agreed it was an opportunity to make their own. They purchased grapes from a friend and <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> their first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> in 2018.</p>
<p>Still in its infancy, Galactic is currently a tiny <glossary term="Négociant" title="729">négociant</glossary> project producing a few thousand bottles a year. The goal is to remain very small and independent but to eventually rent vines and work <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamically</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The wines are <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> naturally with zero intervention save <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> and only see a small amount of <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> at <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><em>This interview took place over Skype in October, 2020.</em></p>
<p><strong>Give us some information about your background. </strong></p>
<p>I was born and raised in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro </glossary>and I’m the fourth generation working in wine. My father has 20 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and produces <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Port</glossary> along with some <glossary term="Dry/Sec" title="405">dry</glossary> <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and red and white <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Table Wine" title="1006">table wines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I can’t tell you the first time I held a hose or stomped on grapes: managing the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> and the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> was part of living at my house. </p>
<p>I studied agricultural engineering at university, because I wanted to have another option if for whatever reason wine was not what I wanted to pursue. And also because I’ve always preferred being out in the land than in a winery. I’ve always felt the vines were the most important. I felt that in winemaking, you can always find a solution. But the vines are more complicated and you need to know how they work. I studied in Refoios, the village where Aphros is located (<strong>ed note:</strong> Miguel currently works as head winemaker at the <a href="https://aphros-wine.com/en/">Aphros winery</a>) and where I currently live, though I’d never imagined returning here.</p>
<p>In 2008, I decided it was time to leave my father’s house; my oldest brother was managing the the family property and I decided to go do some work abroad. I worked in <glossary term="Napa Valley" title="1421">Napa</glossary> with <a href="https://www.paulhobbswinery.com/">Paul Hobbs</a>, then <glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary> for two years at <a href="https://lapoussedor.fr/">Domaine de la Pousse d’Or</a>. Then I worked in Brazil, <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cahors" title="219">Cahors</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> After these experiences, I felt confident in my ability to make wine, and it had always been a dream to experience Africa.</p>
<p>I’ve always felt that the winemaker is something of an artist; they often have good ideas but are bad at selling their wines and managing the business and administrative side of things. While in Africa, I worked for an international group in management and sales. While there I was able to help a large supermarket that carried Portuguese brands to create a new warehouse and a new branch to sell goods from. It was a great experience for professional perspective, a great life lesson. Leli was working in a educational NGO and that also exposed us both more to that reality. </p>
<p><strong>How long did you live in Africa?</strong></p>
<p>Three years in Mozambique. It was a very important time in my life because it made me realize I wanted to go back to Portugal to make wine. Sometimes when something is in your life, you love it but you get used to it. Though it was an incredible experience, not having wine made me miss it more and more.</p>
<p><strong>You are working with your wife Leli. At what point did you meet?</strong></p>
<p>We met when I was living in Brazil in 2012. I worked two years there as a winemaker and would actually fly back to Europe to do the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> there as well. This was before Africa. </p>
<p>I was working in a new region for making wine. I took the job because it felt like a big challenge to work in a different country in a place where vine growing was new. In the end, it often felt like we were fighting against nature trying to make it work. I was satisfied enough with the wines but did not feel a connection to the vines like I do here in Portugal.</p>
<p><strong>When you decided to come back to Portugal, did you have any kind of plan in mind?</strong></p>
<p>To be honest, sometimes I feel life is very mystical and esoteric. It feels like the universe brought me here. At that point Leli and I wanted to have a child, I wanted to make wine, we agreed it was time to go back to Portugal. Before even quitting my job, I was having conversation in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> Superior with a big, mainstream company. My plan was to work for them and make my own wines on the side. I was excited because it’s an area with a lot of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>But that fell through, so for a few months I created a gameplan to start my own project by taking over an abandoned winery. Five days before I was set to return to Portugal, I was informed that Aphros was looking for a head winemaker. I interviewed with the owner Vasco and we immediately got along. He offered me the job and I accepted. It was crazy because it was so last minute: the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> was about to start and we had nowhere to live. We stayed out of hotels for a while. </p>
<p><strong>How did the contact with Aphros happen? </strong></p>
<p>It’s hard to believe, but I actually studied agricultural engineering in the village where Aphros is located. I’d left university in 2006 and Aphros was founded in 2004. I then started working in other countries and never had the chance to meet Vasco, but I knew the wines and what the project was. It was a friend of the winemaker who had a brief stint at Aphros that contacted me about it. I’d told everyone I knew I was moving back to Portugal and to give me any leads if they had any.</p>
<p>Everybody knew I was more into <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organics</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural winemaking</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> There are not that many people thinking that way in Portugal. When he heard the position had freed up at Aphros, my friend said “this looks like you Miguel”. I emailed Vasco, who had interviewed maybe ten people before me. We knew in the first minute it was going to be a good fit. </p>
<p><strong>How long have you been working at Aphros at this point?</strong></p>
<p>I came back in 2017, so this will be my fourth vintage. </p>
<p><strong>So what’s happening over at Aphros?</strong></p>
<p>I’m the head winemaker and Tiago Sampaio from <a href="http://www.foliasdebaco.com/">Folias de Baco</a> is the head consultant. We started around the same time; I hadn’t met Tiago yet but knew about his work. And I think it was a moment for Vasco to find people more aligned with his vision, to get the wines closer to what he wanted them to be. You could say he’s the architect of the wines and we create what he has in mind. </p>
<p>We get along very well, we understand what we want and we are very experimental. You can feel a great energy in the project. </p>
<p><strong>Let’s talk about the Galactic Wines project and how that came to be.</strong></p>
<p>I was a little bit resistant at first; I’m from the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and I’d always imagined my first wine would come from there. But I became very interested with the <glossary term="Minho" title="1422">Minho</glossary> area. We are doing so many experimental things at Aphros but I wanted to try some of my own, namely working with the local <glossary term="Varietal" title="1071">varieties</glossary> of the area. </p>
<p>I also wanted to do something independently with my family. Our first son was born in 2018 and that also felt symbolic for starting our own project. I’d also been seeing how some winemakers were making wines from different regions, and it made me realize that it actually wasn’t that hard to just start a small project. </p>
<p>I have a childhood friend who lives in the area, and he began talking to me about making wine for him. But this was right when I’d gotten back: first kid, new job, new area… After we settled in a bit, it felt the time was right to help him. So at the end of the 2018 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we started to prepare the garage in our house, which has a facility where the family who used to live there made wine for personal consumption. This was to make wine for him, not for us. But we had the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> set up so it felt like the time to make our own wines as well.</p>
<p>It’s also important to note that we started Galactic for fun. It’s why there are only 700 to a 1000 bottles of each <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> With Galactic I don’t have the pressure of the business side of things, it’s more relaxed and with my family, we can make the decisions for ourselves. I think it’s something everybody wants. I have a lot of ideas, it’s good to have an outlet for them.</p>
<p><strong>What is the scale of Galactic Wines at this point?</strong></p>
<p>In 2018, we <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> two wines and everything was made in our house. We had <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Stainless Steel" title="986">stainless steel</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> some 125l <glossary term="Tinaja" title="1293">tinajas</glossary> and a few <glossary term="Chestnut Wood" title="1206">chestnut</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> That same year I’d been approached by a nearby place that makes wine for for personal consumption. They hired me to consult and make the wines. As soon as I saw the winery, I told them I’d make their wine for free if they let me use their <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> for my project. So now we have a beautiful underground winery, a little bit more equipment and we’ve moved our <glossary term="Vessel" title="1160">vessels</glossary> over there.</p>
<p>As far as the wines, we’re focused on a few things. For the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Loureiro" title="1423">Loureiro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we had to do it because it’s an amazing variety and the most-planted in the <glossary term="Vinho Verde" title="1424">Vinho Verde</glossary> area. To me this region makes the best expression of it. The vines are 25km from the ocean, so we wanted to make a wine that could be both incredibly fresh and rich. That’s why we <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> the wines a bit at <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>For the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Trajadura" title="1425">Trajadura</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it was an attempt to do the opposite of what everyone else does. It’s a common variety in the area, but everyone uses it to give volume and alcohol to their wines. The other grapes in <glossary term="Vinho Verde" title="1424">Vinho Verde</glossary> produce low alcohol, and most producers are still trapped in the mentality that high alcohol equals quality. So what I tried to do was make a low ABV% version of this grape. I picked grapes planted under a chestnut tree and close to a wall and picked the less ripe because <glossary term="Trajadura" title="1425">Trajadura</glossary> can get to 13,14, 15% if you let it go all the way. It was a risk to try and understand this variety in a different way.</p>
<p>We actually had no more room for it so it <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> in a huge plastic <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vat</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The long <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> is simply because every time I tasted the wine, it was better. I kept delaying the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pressing" title="827">press</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Once it had gone all the way through the spring, I felt it was too risky to continue in the summer. So we <glossary term="Pressing" title="827">pressed</glossary> and loved the result. </p>
<p><strong>What about the vineyards?</strong></p>
<p>Our goal is to buy grapes right now and to eventually rent vineyards and work <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamically</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> For 2018, we bought grapes from a friend. He owns 15 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and I can’t convince him to go <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but he has agreed to work more ecologically. He stopped using <glossary term="Herbicide" title="526">herbicides</glossary> over the years but is still using <glossary term="Systemic Product" title="1002">systemics</glossary> in most of his land. Now that we’ve sold some of the first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> of Galactic, we’re looking for vines to rent and be more independent. </p>
<p><strong>Where do you see things going? </strong></p>
<p>I’m from the border of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> very close to a great region called Távora-Varosa. It’s a region dominated by sparkling wine and there are very nice <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> there. Where we are, there are not that many <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I do honestly believe that the project will probably go there someway/somehow, or whererver <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> could be between here and my home village.</p>
<p><strong>So do you envision Galactic to be a multi-region type of winery?</strong></p>
<p>We want to live where we are now. It’s a very nice quality of life. I don’t want the project to become a multi-region thing and have no intention to become a roaming winemaker. My goal is to follow the vines and see what happens. I’m 90 minutes from where I was born right now and that’s as far as I’m willing to go. </p>
<p>But again, we love the region we are in. There are still many interesting varieties here from <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so we hope to work with them more closely and to keep the tradition of these grapes alive. We’re also involved in a <glossary term="Cider" title="294">cider</glossary> project that keeps us tied to the area.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us about the name Galactic Wines. </strong></p>
<p>When I was a kid, I didn’t have an imaginary friend, I had an imaginary family (laughs).I always called them my galactic family. So the name symbolizes creating wines from my imagination. With imagination things can be interpreted differently; you can have fun with the wines. I think having this ability is what helps keep tradition alive but also creates new ones. And of course there is the respect of the environment: the work in the vines, the wines that we drink, the people we admire. We also both love astronomy, nights staring at the sky, looking to the stars and the moon. </p>
<p>We don’t plan to be big producers. We plan to create a lifestyle around the farming and the wine. We’ll touch each bottle, wax them by hand. We don’t want this to be about the money and the stress of running a business. I was born in this and it can get to a level where all the fun gets sucked out of it.</p>
<p><strong>What about in the cellar?</strong></p>
<p>In our area, we have natural high <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> and high <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="PH" title="783">PH</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Working naturally is easier. We know most people add <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Commercial Yeast" title="321">yeasts</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Enzymes" title="423">enzymes</glossary> and <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">sulfur</glossary> to their wines; by doing the opposite we hope to truly express our <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We don’t want to disguise the wine. We only add a tiny bit of <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> at <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> to ensure that the wines can travel and age. We made one wine without <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> in 2018, but it was for friends.</p>
<p>Originally from the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> Miguel Viseu spent the better part of his twenties travelling around the world learing the craft of winemaking. After stints in <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Napa Valley" title="1421">Napa</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Cahors" title="219">Cahors</glossary> and Brazil, he felt confident in his skills and decided to pursue his longtime dream of living in Africa. After working in Mozambique for three years for a large company, wine was once again calling. So Miguel and his wife Leli decided to move back to Portugal.</p>
<p>The plan was originally to work for a large, mainstream <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> producer and make wines independently on the side. When that fell through, Miguel decided to take over an abandoned winery in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and start his own <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But five days before his return to Portugal, a friend tipped him off that Vasco Croft, the owner of <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> pioneer <a href="https://aphros-wine.com/en/">Aphros</a>, was looking for a head winemaker. A minute into the interview, both parties agreed to work together.</p>
<p>Miguel has been the head winemaker at Aphros as of the 2017 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Around the same time, he'd originally been approached by a friend to help out on another project, but the prospect seemed like too much at the time. But by the end of 2018, Miguel felt up to the task; after setting up his garage to make his friend's wine, he and Leli agreed it was an opportunity to make their own. They purchased grapes from a friend and <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> their first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> in 2018.</p>
<p>Still in its infancy, Galactic is currently a tiny <glossary term="Négociant" title="729">négociant</glossary> project producing a few thousand bottles a year. The goal is to remain very small and independent but to eventually rent vines and work <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamically</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The wines are <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> naturally with zero intervention save <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> and only see a small amount of <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> at <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><em>This interview took place over Skype in October, 2020.</em></p>
<p><strong>Give us some information about your background. </strong></p>
<p>I was born and raised in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro </glossary>and I’m the fourth generation working in wine. My father has 20 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and produces <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Port</glossary> along with some <glossary term="Dry/Sec" title="405">dry</glossary> <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and red and white <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Table Wine" title="1006">table wines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I can’t tell you the first time I held a hose or stomped on grapes: managing the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> and the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> was part of living at my house. </p>
<p>I studied agricultural engineering at university, because I wanted to have another option if for whatever reason wine was not what I wanted to pursue. And also because I’ve always preferred being out in the land than in a winery. I’ve always felt the vines were the most important. I felt that in winemaking, you can always find a solution. But the vines are more complicated and you need to know how they work. I studied in Refoios, the village where Aphros is located (<strong>ed note:</strong> Miguel currently works as head winemaker at the <a href="https://aphros-wine.com/en/">Aphros winery</a>) and where I currently live, though I’d never imagined returning here.</p>
<p>In 2008, I decided it was time to leave my father’s house; my oldest brother was managing the the family property and I decided to go do some work abroad. I worked in <glossary term="Napa Valley" title="1421">Napa</glossary> with <a href="https://www.paulhobbswinery.com/">Paul Hobbs</a>, then <glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary> for two years at <a href="https://lapoussedor.fr/">Domaine de la Pousse d’Or</a>. Then I worked in Brazil, <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cahors" title="219">Cahors</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> After these experiences, I felt confident in my ability to make wine, and it had always been a dream to experience Africa.</p>
<p>I’ve always felt that the winemaker is something of an artist; they often have good ideas but are bad at selling their wines and managing the business and administrative side of things. While in Africa, I worked for an international group in management and sales. While there I was able to help a large supermarket that carried Portuguese brands to create a new warehouse and a new branch to sell goods from. It was a great experience for professional perspective, a great life lesson. Leli was working in a educational NGO and that also exposed us both more to that reality. </p>
<p><strong>How long did you live in Africa?</strong></p>
<p>Three years in Mozambique. It was a very important time in my life because it made me realize I wanted to go back to Portugal to make wine. Sometimes when something is in your life, you love it but you get used to it. Though it was an incredible experience, not having wine made me miss it more and more.</p>
<p><strong>You are working with your wife Leli. At what point did you meet?</strong></p>
<p>We met when I was living in Brazil in 2012. I worked two years there as a winemaker and would actually fly back to Europe to do the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> there as well. This was before Africa. </p>
<p>I was working in a new region for making wine. I took the job because it felt like a big challenge to work in a different country in a place where vine growing was new. In the end, it often felt like we were fighting against nature trying to make it work. I was satisfied enough with the wines but did not feel a connection to the vines like I do here in Portugal.</p>
<p><strong>When you decided to come back to Portugal, did you have any kind of plan in mind?</strong></p>
<p>To be honest, sometimes I feel life is very mystical and esoteric. It feels like the universe brought me here. At that point Leli and I wanted to have a child, I wanted to make wine, we agreed it was time to go back to Portugal. Before even quitting my job, I was having conversation in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> Superior with a big, mainstream company. My plan was to work for them and make my own wines on the side. I was excited because it’s an area with a lot of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>But that fell through, so for a few months I created a gameplan to start my own project by taking over an abandoned winery. Five days before I was set to return to Portugal, I was informed that Aphros was looking for a head winemaker. I interviewed with the owner Vasco and we immediately got along. He offered me the job and I accepted. It was crazy because it was so last minute: the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> was about to start and we had nowhere to live. We stayed out of hotels for a while. </p>
<p><strong>How did the contact with Aphros happen? </strong></p>
<p>It’s hard to believe, but I actually studied agricultural engineering in the village where Aphros is located. I’d left university in 2006 and Aphros was founded in 2004. I then started working in other countries and never had the chance to meet Vasco, but I knew the wines and what the project was. It was a friend of the winemaker who had a brief stint at Aphros that contacted me about it. I’d told everyone I knew I was moving back to Portugal and to give me any leads if they had any.</p>
<p>Everybody knew I was more into <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organics</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural winemaking</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> There are not that many people thinking that way in Portugal. When he heard the position had freed up at Aphros, my friend said “this looks like you Miguel”. I emailed Vasco, who had interviewed maybe ten people before me. We knew in the first minute it was going to be a good fit. </p>
<p><strong>How long have you been working at Aphros at this point?</strong></p>
<p>I came back in 2017, so this will be my fourth vintage. </p>
<p><strong>So what’s happening over at Aphros?</strong></p>
<p>I’m the head winemaker and Tiago Sampaio from <a href="http://www.foliasdebaco.com/">Folias de Baco</a> is the head consultant. We started around the same time; I hadn’t met Tiago yet but knew about his work. And I think it was a moment for Vasco to find people more aligned with his vision, to get the wines closer to what he wanted them to be. You could say he’s the architect of the wines and we create what he has in mind. </p>
<p>We get along very well, we understand what we want and we are very experimental. You can feel a great energy in the project. </p>
<p><strong>Let’s talk about the Galactic Wines project and how that came to be.</strong></p>
<p>I was a little bit resistant at first; I’m from the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and I’d always imagined my first wine would come from there. But I became very interested with the <glossary term="Minho" title="1422">Minho</glossary> area. We are doing so many experimental things at Aphros but I wanted to try some of my own, namely working with the local <glossary term="Varietal" title="1071">varieties</glossary> of the area. </p>
<p>I also wanted to do something independently with my family. Our first son was born in 2018 and that also felt symbolic for starting our own project. I’d also been seeing how some winemakers were making wines from different regions, and it made me realize that it actually wasn’t that hard to just start a small project. </p>
<p>I have a childhood friend who lives in the area, and he began talking to me about making wine for him. But this was right when I’d gotten back: first kid, new job, new area… After we settled in a bit, it felt the time was right to help him. So at the end of the 2018 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we started to prepare the garage in our house, which has a facility where the family who used to live there made wine for personal consumption. This was to make wine for him, not for us. But we had the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> set up so it felt like the time to make our own wines as well.</p>
<p>It’s also important to note that we started Galactic for fun. It’s why there are only 700 to a 1000 bottles of each <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> With Galactic I don’t have the pressure of the business side of things, it’s more relaxed and with my family, we can make the decisions for ourselves. I think it’s something everybody wants. I have a lot of ideas, it’s good to have an outlet for them.</p>
<p><strong>What is the scale of Galactic Wines at this point?</strong></p>
<p>In 2018, we <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> two wines and everything was made in our house. We had <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Stainless Steel" title="986">stainless steel</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> some 125l <glossary term="Tinaja" title="1293">tinajas</glossary> and a few <glossary term="Chestnut Wood" title="1206">chestnut</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> That same year I’d been approached by a nearby place that makes wine for for personal consumption. They hired me to consult and make the wines. As soon as I saw the winery, I told them I’d make their wine for free if they let me use their <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> for my project. So now we have a beautiful underground winery, a little bit more equipment and we’ve moved our <glossary term="Vessel" title="1160">vessels</glossary> over there.</p>
<p>As far as the wines, we’re focused on a few things. For the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Loureiro" title="1423">Loureiro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we had to do it because it’s an amazing variety and the most-planted in the <glossary term="Vinho Verde" title="1424">Vinho Verde</glossary> area. To me this region makes the best expression of it. The vines are 25km from the ocean, so we wanted to make a wine that could be both incredibly fresh and rich. That’s why we <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> the wines a bit at <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>For the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Trajadura" title="1425">Trajadura</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it was an attempt to do the opposite of what everyone else does. It’s a common variety in the area, but everyone uses it to give volume and alcohol to their wines. The other grapes in <glossary term="Vinho Verde" title="1424">Vinho Verde</glossary> produce low alcohol, and most producers are still trapped in the mentality that high alcohol equals quality. So what I tried to do was make a low ABV% version of this grape. I picked grapes planted under a chestnut tree and close to a wall and picked the less ripe because <glossary term="Trajadura" title="1425">Trajadura</glossary> can get to 13,14, 15% if you let it go all the way. It was a risk to try and understand this variety in a different way.</p>
<p>We actually had no more room for it so it <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> in a huge plastic <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vat</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The long <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> is simply because every time I tasted the wine, it was better. I kept delaying the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Pressing" title="827">press</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Once it had gone all the way through the spring, I felt it was too risky to continue in the summer. So we <glossary term="Pressing" title="827">pressed</glossary> and loved the result. </p>
<p><strong>What about the vineyards?</strong></p>
<p>Our goal is to buy grapes right now and to eventually rent vineyards and work <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamically</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> For 2018, we bought grapes from a friend. He owns 15 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and I can’t convince him to go <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but he has agreed to work more ecologically. He stopped using <glossary term="Herbicide" title="526">herbicides</glossary> over the years but is still using <glossary term="Systemic Product" title="1002">systemics</glossary> in most of his land. Now that we’ve sold some of the first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> of Galactic, we’re looking for vines to rent and be more independent. </p>
<p><strong>Where do you see things going? </strong></p>
<p>I’m from the border of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> very close to a great region called Távora-Varosa. It’s a region dominated by sparkling wine and there are very nice <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> there. Where we are, there are not that many <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> I do honestly believe that the project will probably go there someway/somehow, or whererver <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> could be between here and my home village.</p>
<p><strong>So do you envision Galactic to be a multi-region type of winery?</strong></p>
<p>We want to live where we are now. It’s a very nice quality of life. I don’t want the project to become a multi-region thing and have no intention to become a roaming winemaker. My goal is to follow the vines and see what happens. I’m 90 minutes from where I was born right now and that’s as far as I’m willing to go. </p>
<p>But again, we love the region we are in. There are still many interesting varieties here from <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so we hope to work with them more closely and to keep the tradition of these grapes alive. We’re also involved in a <glossary term="Cider" title="294">cider</glossary> project that keeps us tied to the area.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us about the name Galactic Wines. </strong></p>
<p>When I was a kid, I didn’t have an imaginary friend, I had an imaginary family (laughs).I always called them my galactic family. So the name symbolizes creating wines from my imagination. With imagination things can be interpreted differently; you can have fun with the wines. I think having this ability is what helps keep tradition alive but also creates new ones. And of course there is the respect of the environment: the work in the vines, the wines that we drink, the people we admire. We also both love astronomy, nights staring at the sky, looking to the stars and the moon. </p>
<p>We don’t plan to be big producers. We plan to create a lifestyle around the farming and the wine. We’ll touch each bottle, wax them by hand. We don’t want this to be about the money and the stress of running a business. I was born in this and it can get to a level where all the fun gets sucked out of it.</p>
<p><strong>What about in the cellar?</strong></p>
<p>In our area, we have natural high <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> and high <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="PH" title="783">PH</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Working naturally is easier. We know most people add <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Commercial Yeast" title="321">yeasts</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Enzymes" title="423">enzymes</glossary> and <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">sulfur</glossary> to their wines; by doing the opposite we hope to truly express our <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We don’t want to disguise the wine. We only add a tiny bit of <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> at <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> to ensure that the wines can travel and age. We made one wine without <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> in 2018, but it was for friends.</p>
