Touriga Nacional:
The Grape to Know from Portugal
Touriga Nacional: The Grape to Know from Portugal
Connor Jones
I’ve heard great things about Portugal. In fact, my mother keeps bringing up the idea of taking a trip there in the coming year.
Portugal: Spain’s neighbor, great country for Soccer, and I heard that the US dollar goes a long way there.
I don’t know much beyond that…..it sounds like I need to get curious.
When looking at a map it looks like Portugal and Spain had dinner and Portugal said we’ll take the land by the coast and you can have the rest. Ask anyone from Portugal and they’ll tell you that they have the best part of the land.
I won’t get into this history of Portugal and Spain….. Let’s keep this focused on Wine.
Wine from Portugal. It’s easy to get lost.
Here’s the thing about Portugal Wine: It’s not the typical grapes you’re familiar with.
The top 5 Grapes are:
- Fernao Pires (also goes by Maria Gomes)- White Grape
- Touriga Nacional- Red grape
- Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo, but Portugal’s name for it)- Red Grape
- Albarino- White Grape
- Arinto- White Grape
Here's what i DO know:
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- Port Wine comes from here
- Wines from Vinho Verde (Northwest Portugal) are light.
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- They range from 9-12% ABV. That’s light! Napa Cab’s are 15-16% for reference
- I could probably drink a bottle of this with Lunch and not even need a nap afterwards….
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- If there is one grape from Portugal to know, Touriga Nacional would be it.
Let’s talk Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional is pronounced “too-REE-gah nah-see-oh-NAL”.
The key is making “Nacional” sound like a fancy version of “National”.
If you’d like extra credit you can try and say it as they do in Portugese. You would make the final L sound almost like a W.
Origin: Native to Portugal, especially the Dao and Douro regions.
Wine types Produced:
- Port Wines
- This grape is central to the making of Vintage Port Wines.
- Port Wines
- Red Wines
- Rose Wines
Grape Characteristics
Deep color, High tannins, Concentrated Flavors. Grows well in hot, dry conditions. I picture rocky, steep vineyards where I would need to apply sunscreen every 45 minutes.
Color: Deep color, nearly purple.
Aromas: Dark fruits (Blackberry, plum, blueberry), Violets, Herbs & Spice(Mint, rosemary, pepper). The violets really sticks out to me.
Flavors: Generally full bodied, this is the Napa Cab of Portugal, but not as round and fruity. High Tannins, vibrant acidity.
Aging Potential: Supposedly very strong. And I feel like you could open this, put in the fridge and it would still be good in a week.
Final Thoughts...
If you want some of the best value wines in the world. Buy some wine from Portugal! You’ll notice that most wines are under $30. In fact a bottle in the $15-$25 range could be the equivalent quality of a California wine in the $30-$50 range.
See you next time. Hopefully I gave you something to swirl on.