DOMINI is a remarkable and ambitious joint venture between Domingos Soares Franco, head of winemaking at Jose Maria da Fonseca, one of Portugal’s best known and most highly regarded wine producers, and winemaker Cristiano Van Zeller, a member of Portugal’s famed “Douro Boys,” an elite group of cutting-edge producers of ports and table wines from Portugal’s Douro Valley.
Starting in 1999, the two men set about purchasing land in Douro Superior and establishing long-term leases with growers in the Cima Corgo district of the Douro Valley, forming a combined total of 77 acres of prime Douro Valley vineyards, source of the Domini wines. Vineyards are all planted in traditional Douro Valley grape varieties, such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, and comprise a mix of old vines as well as younger vines (10 to 15 years). The objective was to create two superb quality red wines, Domini and Domini Plus, together with two styles of port.
Domini and Domini Plus deftly illustrate the world-class potential and extraordinary versatility of Douro Valley grapes. Frequency of production of the Domini wines will vary from vintage to vintage, depending on the individual climatic conditions of each harvest, in conjunction with the development and maturation of the vines.