Grape Glossary

Touriga Nacional produces wine with finesse, body and warmth that is dark, concentrated, massively tannic and aromatic. It ages to show the complex aromas typically found in mature vintage Port.

To curb its vigor, Touriga Nacional is best planted in shallow, stony schist soil high on a dramatic slope. The vine produces a lot of foliage and fewer bunches of grapes, and is grown for quality rather than quantity. The vines bear tight clusters of thick skinned, concentrated, tiny berries that only add up to 9 or 10 ounces of grapes (compared to roughly 4.4 pounds) per vine.

Native to Portugal, Touriga Nacional is the finest grape for producing vintage Port, though it accounts for only two percent of the Douro’s vines.