Sem Igual
Vinho Verde
Defying expectations. Redefining a Region.
Sem Igual means “without equal” and João and Leila Camizao are truly making wines in a category of their own. Sousa, in south eastern Vinho Verde right on the Douro river, has a non-existent reputation in the fine wine world.
Grapes are mostly grown by small farmers to sell to large fizz producers. This had also been the case for João’s family, who had farmed vineyards in the region for generations. When he and his wife Leila decided that they were going to take over the family business, however, they decided they were going to do things differently. They saw tremendous potential in the sunny, gently sloping granitic hills of the region. They were going to farm the vineyards organically, limit yields, and allow the terroir of the region to shine through in simple, yet precisely made, still wines.
João and Leila take the indigenous grapes of the region, Arinto and Azal, and make some of the most energetic, mineral, and bracingly powerful wines in northern Portugal.