José Maria da Fonseca is the oldest table wine company in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. Founded in 1834, it is now in its 7th generation and sells its wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

s in all continents. Among its best known wine brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

s are Periquita and Lancers.

History

José Maria da Fonseca started the business in 1834, and the family has maintained it since then. José Maria da Fonseca invests in research and production methods, allying modern techniques traditional methods. For example, the José de Sousa Winery in the Alentejo town of Reguengos de Monsaraz

Reguengos de Monsaraz

Reguengos de Monsaraz is Portuguese municipality in with a total area of 464 km² and a total population of 11,355. The City of Reguengos de Monsaraz proper has a population of 7,308....

, combines the ancient Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 tradition of fermenting wine in clay pots with the latest technology. The vineyard is 700 hectares.