DSF Private Collection Moscatel Roxo

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 winegrowing. This status is not derived solely from his connection to this prestigious Vila Nogueira de Azeitão company. It is also from the fact that Domingos was the first Portuguese national to graduate in Fermentation Sciences (Viticulture and Oenology) from the University of California in Davis, USA. This achievement is important in the influence it has had on his view of vines and wines: although intending to maintain the distinctive features of Portuguese wines he is constantly looking to the future, seeking innovation whenever possible. 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 colours in the hand of an artist; allowing Domingos to experiment with a number of grape varieties. He created an exquisite dessert wine produced from the Moscatel grape variety in its purple version: the Moscatel Roxo. This grape variety is extremely rare and was even risking extinction; its unique purple colour makes the distinction from the white Moscatel variety