José Maria da Fonseca

A family business with almost two centuries of history, and one that has known how to stay up-to-date without ever sitting back on its laurels. José Maria da Fonseca has been making wines since 1834, resulting from the shared passion of a family that has known how to preserve and project the memory and the prestige of its founder. Well aware of the responsibility of being the oldest producer of table wine and Setúbal Moscatel in Portugal, José Maria da Fonseca follows a philosophy of permanent development, constantly investing in research and production, combining the latest techniques with traditional know-how. An example of this is the José de Sousa Rosado Fernandes Winery, at Reguengos de Monsaraz, Alentejo, where the Roman tradition of clay pot fermentation is maintained alongside the latest technology.

Continuing to invest in benchmark products at international level, always produced to the highest standard, José Maria da Fonseca has contributed decisively to the promotion and prestige of national wines. The nearly 650 hectares of vineyards and a winery equipped with the latest technology, which competes with the best in the world, produce wines that combine the experience gathered throughout its history with the most advanced winemaking techniques.

In addition to all these resources, what most characterizes the work at José Maria da Fonseca is a great passion for the art of winemaking. It is this passion capable of generating emotions that José Maria da Fonseca shares with consumers every time they try one of the company’s wines.

Since the company has vertically integrated production, the environmental component is of significant importance, particularly with regard to the 650 ha of vineyards - concentrated in the Setúbal Peninsula, Alentejo and Douro - and the entire wine production process as far as the end consumer.

Even before the emergence of the ISO14001 environmental standards, with which José Maria da Fonseca was the first in the sector to be certified, since 1995, the company had already been carrying out Integrated Audits in which the Environment played a key role. In 1996 it received Quality Certification (ISO9001), also the first in its sector, and since 2004 it has adhered to standard 14001.

Also in the area of Food Safety, José Maria da Fonseca reached BRC status in 2013, and in 2012 obtained BRC Certification, issue 6 (currently the most advanced international standard in the area of Food Safety).

Still in the environmental field, José Maria da Fonseca maintains innovative sustainable practices, such as reducing water consumption, with annual goals and objectives, including the treatment and reuse of all its wastewater for irrigation of its green spaces. Accordingly, the company’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has not been discharged into the water environment since 2007.

Integrated waste management, with an approximately 99% recycling rate and a reduction in energy consumption, is another priority integrated into its system for improving environmental performance.