Ripanço

José Maria da Fonseca is one of Portugal’s leading wineries and the oldest producer of the region’s famous Moscatel sweet wine.

Boasting a history of almost 200 years of winemaking, José Maria da Fonseca is still run by the very same family who founded it back in 1834. The 6th and 7th generation of the Soares Franco are now at the helm of this operation which, despite its enormity, remains a 100% family-run business.

The José Maria da Fonseca winery grows different varieties of grapes across numerous vineyards in Portugal and are processed using a mixture of traditional and innovative methods. The name of this wine comes from the ‘ripanço table’ a table with wooden rods used in an ancient technique which dates back to Roman times that is used for destemming grapes. This technique is still used today in the production of this wine.