Touriga Nacional

Origin and history

Touriga Nacional is native to northern Portugal, where it originated in the Dão and Douro regions. It has many local synonyms, including Mortágua, Touriga Fina and Tourigo do Dão. For centuries its main role was in Port, produced in the Douro valley, which in 1756, under the Marquis of Pombal, became one of the world's first demarcated wine regions. Its small berries give some of the lowest yields of any commercial grape, so growers long preferred more productive varieties. Clonal selection has since aimed to raise yields and sugar levels, and the grape is increasingly used for dry table wines as well as Port. Portugal had about 2,760 hectares in the late 1990s.

Where it grows

The Douro remains its key region, where it is one of five main Port grapes alongside Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão. Although widely seen as the most desirable of them, its low yields mean Touriga Franca is more planted. In the Dão, one of its two home regions, it is a key red grape. It is also used in Douro table wines such as Barca Velha, and in Trás-os-Montes, Beira Interior, the Tejo and Lisbon's Alenquer. Outside Portugal, it has attracted interest in the United States, where 553 tons were crushed in 2006 as producers experimented with Portuguese varieties.

Taste, wine styles and food

Touriga Nacional has a high ratio of skin to pulp, which gives intense, very aromatic wines with high tannin, deep colour and concentrated black fruit. Common descriptors are blueberry, plum and violet, with mint and a stony note. In Port it provides structure, perfume and ageing potential to fortified wine blends. As a dry red, it is made both as a varietal and in blends with Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and other local grapes; these wines are full-bodied and often benefit from decanting or cellaring. Its power suits grilled steak, roast lamb or kid, game, hearty stews and blue cheese. Its rising profile is part of the wider story told in the world wine production guide.

Touriga Nacional: questions and answers

Other red grapes

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Syrah
• Grenache
• Cabernet Franc
• Tempranillo
• Nebbiolo
• Sangiovese
• Malbec
• Gamay
• Mourvèdre
• Zinfandel
• Petit Verdot
• Carmenère
• Cinsault
• Carignan
• Tannat
• Pinotage
• Pinot Meunier
• Aglianico
• Barbera
• Blaufränkisch