Grape Variety: Touriga Nacional

Colour: Red

Touriga Nacional’s poor yields mean that it represents a tiny part of the wine production in the Douro, but plays a major part in the blends of the best ports.

The variety is increasingly being used for unfortified red wine in the Douro and in the Dão. In the latter, it is known simply as Touriga, and it must comprise at least 20% of Dão blends.

In the Douro it is grown in searing heat on steep schistous vineyards that are more rock than soil. The alternative name of Mortágua pays tribute to these harsh conditions. It is usually trained under one of the Guyot systems, and needs severe pruning to keep it under control. In contrast, the vine produces just a few bunches of blue-black grapes which vary in size from ‘small’ to ‘tiny’. Thus yields are among the lowest of any commercial grape variety.

The berries of Touriga Nacional have a high skin to pulp ratio which heightens the amount of extract in the wines. The grapes can produce intense, very aromatic wines with high tannin content.
Touriga’s most obvious characteristic is its extraordinarily bold nose of violets. It is high in ionones, volatile chemicals which give this particular smell. The fruit character is also intense: black berries, blueberries, almost liqueur-like. An agreeable backdrop of spice manifests itself in notes of cocoa and pepper. There is often a hint of bitterness. The positive side is that the tannins tend to be very fine, graphite-like, and the interplay between acid and tannin with this grape, allows wines that are powerful but also fresh and alive.

Quinta da Vegia has 20 ha of vineyard planted to Touriga Nacional, Aragonês (the local clone of Tempranillo) and Trincadeira Preta. Porta Fronha is their unoaked cuvée, bursting with crunchy red berry fruit, plus food-friendly earthy and spicy notes. Deep, bright red. Spicy, almost saline aromas of fresh red berries, plums and cherry skin. Lively and sweet, the red fruit qualities showing striking purity and focus. Really delicious wine with impressive lift and energy to the finish, which leaves a strong impression of pure, fresh strawberry and raspberry fruit.