Quinta de São Domingos de Carmões
by
Kathy and Terry Sullivan
Summary: Quinta de São Domingos de Carmões is located in the municipality of Torres Vedras, the European Wine City 2018. The winery is owned by João Melícias, a relative of the general manager at Quinta da Folgorosa, José Melícias. The boutique winery is located in a rectangular, one-story building where visitors will discover traditional winemaking equipment and traditional oak barrels.
A short ride from the winery Quinta da Folgorosa was a stop at the winery Quinta de São Domingos de Carmões, owned by winemaker João Melícias. João’s cousin, José Melícias greeted us at the winery and spoke about his cousin’s winery and introduced his cousin and the wines. Also in attendance with our group was the mayor of the municipality of Torres Vedras, Carlos Manuel Antunes Bernarde.
Winery
The winery has 25 hectares (62 acres) of grapes and produces the Fonte das Moças brand. José enthusiastically talked about the winery and the Fonte das Moças brand wines as his cousin looked on. Fonte das Moças translates to “Fountain of Woman”. The wine bottle labels show a drawing of a woman with a clay jar on her shoulder. I asked José who was the better winemaker. He quickly responded, “My cousin João.”
The winery is located in a white one-story building with a peaked roof. Inside we saw large red cement tanks. The cement tanks are no longer used for making and aging wine. They have been repurposed and now hold wine bottles. A separate room had numerous oak barrels aging wines. Another area had a room with a long table setup with wine glasses and food nibbles for our 30 plus group of winemakers and wine enthusiasts. We enjoyed tasting the Fonte das Moças brand wines. Numerous pieces of old winemaking equipment along the inside walls add to the ambiance of the winery. In one corner there was a large copper still. Adjacent to the sales area, there is a large granite press.
Wine Tasting
We tasted three wines. The Vinho Tinto 2015, with 14% alcohol, was a blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca with some Syrah. The wine was aged in French oak for eight months. This wine was an opaque dark ruby color. The aroma was very fruity with notes of black fruit salsa. The taste included blackberries and blueberries. The finish was fruity. Consider this wine as a good wine for every day. A bit of history is noted on the back label, “Fonte das Moças, or “Fountain of the Damsels” is a Roman fountain that gives this property and the wine their names. Legend has it that young girls would fetch water from the fountain and end up falling in love.”
The Fonte das Moças 2007 Grande Escolha, a 14.5% alcohol wine, was a blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. The wine was aged in French oak for one year. The wine was an opaque ruby color with a black hue. The aroma was very fruity. The taste offered notes of fruit, earthiness and spices. This full-bodied wine had bold tannins. The finish offered notes of fruit and spice.
The Fonte das Moças Reserva 2006, aged in French oak for four months, was a blend of Arinto and Fernão Pires. The wine spent some time on the skins. The wine was a dark gold color with an amber hue. The aroma had intense floral notes. The taste included floral notes of daisies, violets and honeysuckle. The full-bodied wine had mild tannins. The finish was crisp with floral notes. Pair this wine with cheese or chicken dishes.
Prior to our departure, Carlos Manuel Antunes Bernarde, mayor of the municipality of Torres Vedras spoke to our group. He is very pleased that Torres Vedras along with Alenquer share the 2018 European Wine Capital of the Year. He thanked our group for spending the afternoon visiting wineries in Torres Vedras.
Visitors can find unique wines crafted by João Melícias. The winery is just a short distance north of Lisbon and makes for a pleasant visit in this bucolic area of Torres Vedras. Spend some time observing the numerous winemaking artifacts of a past era while tasting wines.
Quinta de São Domingos de Carmões
Rua da Nora, nº8 2565-116 Carmões, Portugal
Article written April 2018.
