TOURIGA FRANCA: FROM BLENDS TO A PROMISING SOLO CAREER
Touriga Franca has a prominent place in the world of Portuguese wines.
Considered one of the best national grape varieties for blended wines, its presence is often requested in the production of Port and still wines.
Little by little, this red grape has ventured into a solo career, appearing in single varietal labels, where it expresses its characteristics more clearly. Find out in this article what you can expect from these wines and discover the reasons why Touriga Franca is such an important and popular grape variety.
The origin of Touriga Franca
Until the year 2000, the Touriga Franca grape variety was known as Tinta Francesa.
However, contrary to what the name suggests, this grape does not originate in France. It is an indigenous Portuguese grape variety, with its origins in the Douro region.
It was born at the end of the 19th century in response to the need to find a grape variety capable of resisting the scourge of phylloxera, which was decimating vineyards all over Europe at the time.
The result of a natural cross between the Touriga Nacional grape and the Marufo (or Mourisco Tinto) variety, it is believed that the new variety was initially baptised with the name of Touriga Francesa, in honour of the French school which, at the time, inspired much of the research and hybrid cultivation work carried out in Portugal in search of solutions to save the vineyards.
Today, Touriga Franca is the most popular grape variety in the Douro and the second most planted in the country. You can easily find this grape in other national regions such as Dão, Trás-os-Montes, Bairrada, Ribatejo, Estremadura and Setúbal.
Touriga Franca: the elegant variety that everyone loves
Due to its characteristics, this is one of the Portuguese grape varieties that appeals to both the winegrower and the winemaker.
In the countryside, Touriga Franca is popular because it is easy to grow, very resistant to pests and capable of ensuring regular production over the years.
As a sun-loving variety that needs warmth to develop fully, it's curious to think that this grape has solutions written into its DNA.
After being created with the mission of saving the vineyards from phylloxera, Touriga Franca is now well placed to help respond to current problems such as global warming and water scarcity.
In the cellar, winemakers value its versatility and quality and, above all, the extreme elegance it brings to the wines it produces. As well as providing intense colour and a more complex aromatic profile, Touriga Franca helps to harmonise the result when used with other grape varieties, giving rise to very balanced wines.
Traditionally used in the production of blended red wines, it is also one of the main grapes used in the production of Port wine, along with other well-known Douro varieties such as Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional.
Touriga Franca wines: what to expect?
Curious about this grape variety? We'll share with you some of the characteristics you'll find in the wines that Touriga Franca offers us:
1. Intense fruity aromas
These are wines with a rich and captivating bouquet of aromas, where dark fruits - such as blackberry, black cherry and plum - and ripe red fruits are very present, sometimes accompanied by delicate floral notes, such as rose and cistus, and soft spices.
2. Firm structure and deep colour
Expect wines that are rich in colour, solid in body and capable of leaving velvety textures in the mouth.
3. Soft, elegant tannins
We've already talked about the enormous elegance that Touriga Franca brings to wines. Although the tannins are very present, they are soft and well-integrated, making tasting these wines very pleasant right from the start.
4. Balanced acidity
The acidity of these wines is very balanced, providing great freshness and liveliness on the palate.
5. Complexity and persistence
As well as a complex aromatic profile, you can also count on a persistent finish, where the flavours linger pleasantly in the mouth after tasting.
6. Ageing potential
Wines made from this grape variety tend to age well and gracefully, developing even greater complexity over time and becoming even more surprising.
Se já está a pensar na degustação e procura uma boa companhia para estes vinhos, saiba que os vinhos tintos de Touriga Franca harmonizam na perfeição com carnes vermelhas, carnes de caça e cordeiro. Já os vinhos do Porto produzidos com esta casta são ótimos companheiros para sobremesas à base de chocolate, carnes frias e tábuas de queijos.
Discover the essence of Touriga Franca
If you're a wine lover, you've certainly tried blends that prove that Touriga Franca is a great team player.
We now invite you to discover this grape variety solo, so that you can fully explore and feel the expressiveness of each of the characteristics we present here.
We have just the wine for you: our new Boa-Vista Touriga Franca.
A monovarietal wine that highlights the unique and charismatic identity of the Touriga Franca vineyards of the iconic Quinta da Boavista in the Douro.
Planted at different altitudes and with different sun exposure, these vines bring us a captivating wine that reveals the typical essence of this grape variety.
This and other suggestions are now available in our Uva Wine Shop. Visit us and let yourself be surprised!
