From Burgundy to Brazil
Luís Henrique Zanini is one of Brazil's most celebrated enologists — a vigneron who trained with the Montille family in Burgundy and brought their philosophy of terroir, organic farming, and minimal intervention back to the Vale dos Vinhedos. In 1999, he founded Vallontano Vinhos Nobres, producing elegant, site-specific wines that challenged Brazil's reputation for bulk production. With his wife Talise, he later launched Era dos Ventos — a natural wine project in the Serra Gaúcha that champions forgotten varieties like Peverella, skin-contact techniques, and the kind of creative winemaking that has put Brazilian natural wine on the global map. Together, they are proof that South America's largest wine region can produce bottles of startling originality.
The Burgundy Influence
Luís Henrique Zanini's journey to becoming one of Brazil's most respected winemakers began not in the vineyards of Rio Grande do Sul, but in the cellars of Burgundy. He spent time working with the Montille family — the legendary Volnay domaine known for its biodynamic farming, whole-cluster fermentation, and transparent expression of terroir. The experience was transformative. Zanini absorbed the Burgundian philosophy that great wine is made in the vineyard, not the cellar — that the vigneron's role is to guide, not dictate, and that each parcel has a voice that must be heard [^137^][^149^].
In 1999, inspired by his time in France, Zanini founded Vallontano Vinhos Nobres in the Vale dos Vinhedos — one of Brazil's most prestigious wine regions, located in the Serra Gaúcha of Rio Grande do Sul. The name Vallontano evokes the Italian heritage of the region's early immigrants, but the philosophy was distinctly French: organic viticulture, hand-harvesting, native yeast fermentation, and a focus on elegance over power. It was a radical departure from the industrial winemaking that dominated Brazil at the time [^137^][^149^].
Vallontano quickly gained recognition for wines of unusual finesse — Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that spoke of their cool-climate Brazilian terroir with a Burgundian accent. But Zanini was not content to rest on his laurels. As the natural wine movement gained momentum globally, he saw an opportunity to push further — to experiment with forgotten varieties, skin-contact techniques, and zero-sulfur winemaking in a country where such practices were not just unconventional, but technically illegal under existing wine legislation [^138^][^142^].
"Luís Henrique, a celebrated enologist, founded Vallontano Vinhos Nobres in 1999, inspired by his work with the Montille family in Burgundy, where he embraced organic viticulture and minimal intervention."
— The Grape Reset
Vale dos Vinhedos & Serra Gaúcha
The Zanini family's vineyards are located in two distinct zones of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state and its wine heartland. Vallontano is based in the Vale dos Vinhedos — a sub-region of the Serra Gaúcha known for its rolling hills, granite soils, and cool, humid climate influenced by altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The region is naturally rainy, making organic and biodynamic farming a challenge — but one that Zanini has embraced [^142^][^138^].
Era dos Ventos operates in the broader Serra Gaúcha, where Zanini works with partner growers and his own parcels to source fruit for the natural wine project. The Serra Gaúcha is Brazil's oldest wine region, settled by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. It is a landscape of small farms, steep slopes, and a patchwork of varieties — both international and heirloom — that reflect the region's immigrant heritage. The climate is challenging: high rainfall, humidity, and fungal pressure make organic viticulture demanding, but the resulting wines have a freshness and acidity rare in tropical latitudes [^142^].
Zanini farms organically and biodynamically, using cover crops, compost, and natural pest control rather than synthetic chemicals. He has convinced neighbouring growers to convert to biodynamic cultivation, sourcing grapes from their vineyards for Era dos Ventos. This collaborative approach — buying fruit from converted neighbours — is common among natural winemakers in Brazil, but it exists in a legal grey area. Under Brazilian law, colonial wine producers can only sell wine made from their own grapes, and only on their own property. Selling to resellers or online is technically illegal, making Zanini's work not just agricultural but political [^142^].
Vale dos Vinhedos & Serra Gaúcha, Rio Grande do Sul. Granite soils, rolling hills, cool humid climate. Atlantic Ocean influence. Altitude 600-800m. High rainfall, challenging for organic farming. Brazil's oldest wine region, settled by Italian immigrants.
Organic and biodynamic. Cover crops, compost, natural pest control. Hand-harvesting. Collaborative sourcing from converted neighbour growers. No synthetic chemicals. Focus on soil health and biodiversity in a challenging humid climate.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat for Vallontano. Peverella (rare Italian heirloom), Moscato, and other forgotten varieties for Era dos Ventos. International varieties with Brazilian expression, plus heritage grapes revived.
Brazilian wine legislation does not recognise natural wine production. Colonial producers limited to 20,000L/year, must use 70% own grapes, can only sell on property. Online sales and reseller distribution technically illegal. Zanini operates in this quasi-legal space.
Minimal Intervention, Maximum Expression
Zanini's winemaking philosophy is rooted in the Burgundian principles he learned from the Montille family: the vineyard is the primary author of the wine, and the cellar's role is to preserve, not manipulate. At Vallontano, this means organic fruit, native yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur, and ageing in old French oak. The wines are elegant, structured, and transparent — Pinot Noir with a Brazilian soul but a Burgundian skeleton [^137^][^149^].
At Era dos Ventos, the approach is even more radical. The project is a partnership between Zanini, fellow enologist Álvaro Escher, and Pedro Hermeto — three friends united by a passion for natural wine and a desire to push Brazil's boundaries. They experiment with skin-contact whites (orange wines), pét-nats, zero-sulfur cuvées, and the revival of nearly extinct varieties. The Peverella — a rare white grape brought to Brazil by Italian immigrants in the 19th century — is their most celebrated innovation: a fresh, intense orange wine made by leaving grape skins in contact with the juice for an extended period [^142^][^139^].
The Moscato from Era dos Ventos has also gained international attention — a truly delicious expression of the variety that balances sweetness with acidity and aromatic complexity. It is creative winemaking at its best: taking a grape often dismissed as simple and revealing its potential through careful, minimal-intervention handling. As one writer noted, it is "a great example of this creative winemaking" — the kind of bottle that surprises even seasoned natural wine drinkers [^144^].
The Peverella Revival
Peverella is a rare white grape brought to Brazil from Italy by immigrants in the 19th century. Its cultivation was widespread in the Serra Gaúcha in the early 20th century, but tapered off over the decades as more modern grape strains gained popularity. Zanini, Escher, and Hermeto brought it back in its most natural form — grape skins kept in contact with the mash for a longer period, resulting in a very fresh and intense orange wine that is unique in the Serra Gaúcha. It is a testament to the trio's commitment to recovering Brazil's viticultural heritage and to the power of natural winemaking to reveal the character of forgotten varieties.
Pioneers in a Legal Grey Zone
Luís Henrique and Talise Zanini are not just winemakers; they are activists for a different kind of Brazilian wine culture. In a country where wine legislation prioritises industrial producers and effectively criminalises small-scale natural winemaking, their work exists in a quasi-legal limbo. The risks are real: becoming "too famous" can lead to visits from Ministry of Agriculture technicians, possible interdiction, and the shutdown of production. Many Brazilian natural winemakers prefer anonymity. The Zaninis have chosen visibility [^142^].
This courage has made them leaders of a growing movement. Alongside producers like Marina and Israel Santos of Vinha Unna, the Zaninis are proving that Brazil can produce natural wines of international quality — wines that appear at RAW Wine fairs, in natural wine bars from São Paulo to Copenhagen, and on the lists of restaurants that value authenticity over certification. They are changing the perception that great wine must come from Europe or the established New World regions [^138^][^146^].
Talise Zanini plays a crucial role in this story — not just as Luís Henrique's partner, but as a co-creator of the family's vision. The couple operates as a team, with Talise involved in the organisational, administrative, and creative aspects of both Vallontano and Era dos Ventos. Theirs is a partnership of equals, rooted in shared values: respect for the land, commitment to organic agriculture, and a belief that wine should be an expression of place and personality, not a manufactured product [^141^][^147^].
"A great example of this creative winemaking is this truly delicious Moscato from winemakers Luís Henrique and Talise Zanini of Era Dos Ventos."
— Paste Magazine
The Zanini Range
The Zanini portfolio spans two distinct projects: Vallontano, where Luís Henrique produces elegant, site-specific wines in the Burgundian tradition; and Era dos Ventos, where he partners with Álvaro Escher and Pedro Hermeto to make experimental natural wines that challenge conventions. All wines are made from organically or biodynamically farmed fruit, fermented with indigenous yeast, and bottled with minimal or no sulfur. The range reflects both the classic and the radical sides of Brazilian winemaking [^137^][^139^].