Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional is an indigenous red grape from Portugal. Traditional production zones are the Douro Valley, but also areas in the Dão and Alentejo. The Touriga Nacional was primarily grown along the Douro for Port wine production in large quantities. The rather low-yielding grape is also used for ordinary wine production. In the late 1990s the area under vines in Portugal was about 2,760 acres. Smaller stocks are also known in Australia, South Africa and the United States.

The method of vine training has a strong influence on the development of this variety. Good results are obtained only with the Guyot and extreme pruning. The wines produced from Touriga Nacional are tannic, tasty red wines with a high alcohol content, a dark color, a balanced acidity, complex spicy notes and resinous flavors. A DNA analysis showed a close relationship to the Portuguese Tinta Barroca.

Best products are of excellent quality and are suitable as pronounced bearing wines with great aging potential for full-bodied wines.

The grapes are small, of varying size, round and hard shells. Touriga Nacional is a variety of the noble vine (Vitis vinifera ). It has hermaphrodite flowers and is thus self- fruiting. When the wine-growing economic disadvantage is avoided, no return delivered to have male plants grow.

See also the article viticulture in Portugal, viticulture and winemaking in Australia in the United States (California, Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland) and the list of grape varieties.

Synonyms

Touriga Nacional is also known under the name Tinto Bical, Mortagua, Mortagua Preto Preto Mortagua, Tinta Mortagua, Toiriga, Touriga, Touriga Fina, Touriga fêmea, Tourigao, Tourigo, Tourigo Antigo, Tourigo do Dão, Touriva, Turiga and Turiva.