Fonseca Guimaraens
| Fonseca Guimaraens | |
|---|---|
| Location | Valença do Douro, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°09′37″N 7°33′32″W / 41.1604°N 7.5590°WCoordinates: 41°09′37″N 7°33′32″W / 41.1604°N 7.5590°W |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Parent company | The Fladgate Partnership |
| Known for | Port |
| Distribution | International |
Fonseca Guimaraens, often simply called Fonseca, is one of the largest Port wine houses in Portugal. Manoel Pedro Gonçalves Guimaraens and his brother João Gonçalves Salgueiro, established the company in 1822 when they acquired control of the Fonseca and Monteiro Company from the Fonseca Family by purchase of the majority of Fonseca owned shares. A condition of the sale of Fonseca's shares was that the name Fonseca remain as the brand name. David Guimaraens, the great-great-great grandson of the founder Manuel Pedro, has been the head winemaker since 1994, and oversees the winemaking and blending for all four Taylor Fladgate Port houses: Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca Guimaraens, Croft, and Delaforce.
Fonseca maintains an estate, Quinta do Panascal, open to the public for tastings and tours. The vineyard Quinta do Panascal in the Douro has been classified as a Grade A producer of grapes. Fonseca currently ships a variety of Ports, including vintage, 10, 20 and 40-year traditional tawnies, a 10-year white tawny, late bottle vintage, non-classic vintages (Quinta do Panascal, Guimaraens Vintage), among others.
It is often confused with the similarly named, but completely unrelated, Portuguese wine producer José Maria da Fonseca, based in the Arrábida IPR on the Setúbal peninsula.
Fonseca was originally a very small Port shipper operating under the name of Fonseca, Monteiro & Co. in the early 19th century. In 1822, Portugueses business man Manuel Pedro Guimaraens and his brother João Gonçalves Salgueiro, acquired operating control of the business and renamed it to Fonseca Guimaraens. During the Liberal Wars of 1828-34, Guimaraens brothers was a supporters of the liberal reforms of King Pedro IV of Portugal. When the absolutist party of Portugal put Pedro's brother Miguel on the throne, Guimaraens found himself in danger due to his liberal support. He fled Portugal, hidden in an empty Port wine barrel and later settled in England where the Fonseca company was headquartered until 1927.
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