The Vinhos Franco Harvest Program is already known, on September 14th, in Casais dos Penedos, a village in the parish of Pontével located in the municipality of Cartaxo, birthplace of Ponte da Serra, Barroca, Pata and Joana da Cana, stars on the poster from the winery managed by Rui Franco.
The 2024 Harvest Program was designed for the whole family, and includes grape “foot treading”, must tasting, lunch, wine tasting and a bread workshop with the company O Pão do Alex to learn how to make the famous Alicante bread.
The story of Vinhos Franco, associated with AIP, merges with the narrative of the family, people born and raised in Casais Penedos, a village in the municipality of Cartaxo, where wine production has always been a tradition. The brand sells all its wines and wine tourism offerings online.
Ponte da Serra, Barroca da Pata and Joana da Cana are stars on the company's poster which “targets quality and has a mission to celebrate wine as an experience, in order to honor ancestors and motivate descendants”, reveals Rui Franco, manager of the winery that was founded by grandfather José Manuel Mata in 1951 and rehabilitated into a museum in March 2020, at the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic.
In addition to wine production, there is also a wine tourism project which includes visiting the vineyards in a Citroen 2CV, the wine cellar and museum, as well as wine tasting accompanied by snacks.
“This project was born from the immense pleasure of hosting and is seen as an opportunity to create connections with our customers, which is very important for us as a family business”, recalls the person in charge.
Nowadays, around 28 hectares of vineyards are cultivated, of which eight are reserved for vines over 20 years old. This older group, with low grape production, gives rise to wines of high concentration and great quality. The remainder, much younger, result from a strategy to rejuvenate the wine heritage and the introduction of varieties of recognized quality.
In 2015, the company built the area dedicated to wine production. Between 2020 and 2021, the building would undergo major structural renovations to include a basement for wine aging, a store open to the public and a tasting room.
