Sa Forana, a Small Family Winery

By Miriam Triay / Photos Sa Forana – The wine project Sa Forana was born in 2003 from the passion and enthusiasm of two brothers, Carles and Xavier Solano. “The main objective of this initiative was to give meaning to the Minorcan countryside; to lands that, like those of Sa Forana, were abandoned and unused because they were not viable for any type of agricultural exploitation,” the brothers explain.

“The idea was to make use of forgotten land and give it a purpose, a viable use. The best way we could think of was to bet on our passion: the world of wine.” Both had previously worked in the restaurant sector, and one of them had even owned a wine shop, so they already had some knowledge of the field and, above all, useful contacts that could help them.

“We started with a very small project, something almost domestic. A very family-based operation. But then we began to grow and expand… planting more and more vines until reaching the present situation, where it has become a real business. We now have three hectares of our own and also manage neighboring plots.”

Over time the project gradually evolved. Today, twenty-two years later, the second generation has already joined the project, and the winery also employs qualified staff. It is no longer just the two brothers working the land as a hobby; the winemaking activity at Sa Forana became professional several years ago.

As for their wines, the first productions were mainly red varieties, although white wines were gradually introduced. Today they market two reds and two whites. “Since we have vineyards that are more than twenty years old, we can offer two wines aged in barrels, more structured, one white and one red; and two younger wines, also one white and one red.”

The first and more prestigious line is Sa Forana wines: a white wine fermented in barrels and a red wine aged in barrels. The second line, called 600 metres, consists of vintage wines that are young, fresh, light and with a lower alcohol content.

In this sense, and considering that they work with both their own hectares and neighboring vineyards, the Sa Forana wines come entirely from their own estate, while 600 metres wines combine grapes from their vineyards with grapes from others. “With each neighbor we have different agreements: some want wine for themselves, others sell us the grapes so we can make our wine, and some prefer wine to sell under their own brand… it depends on their needs.”

Being a small family winery means that its growth is also moderate. “This year we are planting a little more, slightly increasing the number of hectares, but we do not intend to grow endlessly. We want to remain a small winery with limited production. Our aim is to produce quality wines in the mid-to-high range. We do not intend to flood the market with wine.”

SA FORANA
Camí de sa Forana, s/n
07712 – Sant Climent

Web: https://www.saforana.com/es
Email: saforana@saforana.com