Grape Expectations - Ep. 05 - The Touriga Nacional

Grape Expectations - Ep. 05 - The Touriga Nacional

 

Touriga Nacional in the Douro Touriga nacional is one of the most important grape varieties in the region at the moment. It is a very versatile grape variety, as it is present in almost every region of the country. Its versatility is so great that it has begun to be taken to other regions of the world, such as Australia, California, New Zealand, and even South Africa. This means that its adaptation is easily done and the result obtained is good, thus having good wines from this grape variety! Referring specifically to the Douro, three decades ago Touriga Nacional represented 2% of the vineyard. Today we believe its importance is much greater, maybe three, four times more. This is because we were able to get the right clones so that the winemakers also understood what this variety can give us. It is a difficult variety to handle in the vineyard, it is difficult to harvest, because the bunches and berries are small, but it is a very rich variety in terms of tannins, color and aromas. It is a variety that is characterized by its floral aromas, especially violets. It is also characterized by aromas of very ripe fruit, in the case of our vineyards, due to our climate, hot and dry.