José Maria da Fonseca released two new red wines from the Domingos Soares Franco Private Collection Domingos Soares Franco is the younger brother in the sixth generation of the family that has run José Maria da Fonseca since its foundation in 1834. As both Vice- President and senior winemaker of the company, Domingos has become a prominent figure in the field of Portuguese winemaking.

Although all José Maria da Fonseca’s wines are of his making, some are particularly special to him. Labelled “Domingos Soares Franco Private Collection”, these are all varietal wines. They are the result of three factors: his studies at Davis, the influence of his uncle and his access to 650 hectares of José da Fonseca vineyard and the diverse grape varieties planted there – a unique collection in Portugal. This collection serves rather like a palette of colors in the hand of an artist; allowing Domingos to experiment with a number of grape varieties.

This year, two new red wines are released: the Private Collection Touriga Francesa 2013 and the Private Collection 157 castas 2012. On the Private Collection Touriga Francesa, Domingos Soares Franco has decided to blend the fruit concentration and depth of the Touriga Francesa with the unique elegance and aromatics of the Moscatel Roxo. These two varieties have been planted in in sandy soils (Touriga Francesa) and also clay soils (Moscatel Roxo), resulting in a very well balanced wine, with great complexity. Of this wine, 7921 bottles were produced. This wine is also unique, since it has not been aged in oak, in order to preserve its purest characteristics. It was also not filtered or cold stabilized. It should be served at 14ºC and enjoyed at 16ºC, with game dishes, red meat or soft cheeses.

For the first time, in the 2010 harvest, it was decided to vinify the more than 560 grape varieties that are part of the Ampelographic Collection planted in Quinta de Camarate, the Soares Franco family estate. From the red varieties, 157 were selected and gave origin to this new red wine. The Private Collection 157 castas, is the result of the vinification of 157 different red grape varieties, such as Colorino, Bogalhal e Khindony, among others. With a production of 1200 liters, this wine is truly original and is the result of the blending of the largest number of varieties identified. It was fermented by foot-trodding in “lagares” during 7 days at 28ºC with full maceration.