Ripanço 2020

José Maria da Fonseca has just launched Ripanço 2013 on the national market, an Alentejo wine, from the José de Sousa winery in Reguengos de Monsaraz and which uses an ancestral technique, ripanço. Ripanço is a technique that dates back to Roman times, traditionally used in the south of Portugal to manually de-stem grapes. Thus, the ripanço technique consists of de-stemming the grapes by hand with the help of a table suitable for this purpose (ripanço table) made up of several wooden slats. In this way, the hard tannins from the stalk are not extracted, resulting in a smoother and softer wine, with greater elegance.

The purchase of Casa Agrícola José de Sousa Rosado Fernandes in 1986 came to fruition an old dream of the Soares Franco family: to produce Alentejo wine in a property full of prestige (the old José de Sousa red from 1940 remains mythical) and history (it is produced there wine since at least 1878), using traditional winemaking methods. Herdade do Monte da Ribeira, where the vineyard is located, is located on the road to Monsaraz and has an area of 120 hectares, of which 72 are vineyards.

The winemaking cellar, located in the center of Reguengos de Monsaraz, combines tradition and history with cutting-edge technology. It is this combination, a structural constant throughout the centuries-old history of José Maria da Fonseca, that makes José de Sousa a sublime creation, a mix of craftsmanship and modernity. The traditional wine cellar (curiously installed below ground level in order to preserve a cool and constant temperature throughout the year), has two presses for foot treading and 114 clay amphorae for fermentation and a ripping table. The modern wine cellar has 44 stainless steel tanks and all the necessary technology for red winemaking.

Ripanço, the technique used in this wine, dates back to Roman times, traditionally used in the south of Portugal to manually de-stemm the grapes. Thus, the ripanço technique consists of de-stemming the grapes by hand with the help of a table suitable for this purpose (ripanço table) made up of several wooden slats. In this way, the hard tannins from the stalk are not extracted, resulting in a smoother and softer wine, with greater elegance.

As for the tasting notes, this is recognized for its deep ruby color, presenting an aroma of cigar smoke, chocolate and dried figs, obtaining a fresh taste of cigar tobacco and round tannins, which gives it a long finish.

This wine is fermented in stainless steel vats at a temperature of 28ºC and is aged for 6 months in French and American oak.

In order to enjoy this magnificent wine in its magnitude, it should be served at a temperature of 16ºC, ideal to accompany red meat and cheese dishes.

Winery: José Maria da Fonseca 
Region: Alentejo
Variety: 36% Aragonês, 29% Trincadeira, 23% Syrah, 12% Alicante Bouschet
Year: 2020
Bottle: 750 ml 
Case: 1 bottles 
Alc. Content: 14,00%
Standard Drinks: 8,30