The history of the Touriga Nacional grape variety is marked by exciting twists and turns. With an unquestionable reputation, the devastating arrival of phylloxera almost drove it to extinction in Portugal. Fortunately, after being rescued, it has played a crucial role in the revolution that has transformed Portuguese wines since the late 1980's. Today Touriga Nacional is a prominent grape variety and can be found in vineyards and glasses all over the country.
Touriga Nacional is the flagship variety of Portuguese red wines. Today, everybody adores it, but that wasn't always the case.
History
It is believed that Touriga Nacional is a grape variety of Portuguese origin, and that Dão is its source, where it has a remarkable genetic diversity, surpassing that found in the Douro and it is supposed that its name arose in the village of Tourigo, located between the districts of Viseu, Santa Comba Dão and Tondela.
Mentioned since 1790, Touriga Nacional received praise from the Baron de Forrester (1809-1861) and Viscount de Villa Maior in 1870, recognizing it as the grape variety responsible for Portugal's best wines. As well as shining on its own, this variety is at the origin of other varieties, serving as one of the progenitors of Touriga Fêmea, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinta da Barca.
After the phylloxera devastation, Touriga Nacional faced a sharp decline. This was largely due to the inadequate use of rootstocks when replanting vineyards.
The great prestige of the past was meaningless. For context, the area planted with Touriga Nacional in the Douro Valley was less than 1% during the 1970s. And in the Dão region, Touriga Nacional gradually gave way to other, more productive varieties.
In the 1980s, the work of several researchers in both Douro and Dão saved the variety from extinction. José António Rosas and João Nicolau de Almeida began micro vinification studies to identify the best grape varieties for Port wine. After much testing, they selected five varieties, including Touriga Nacional.
Also, in 1985 an ambitious program of planting and restructuring vineyards included Touriga Nacional. Previously it was not uncommon for Touriga to produce less than 0.8 kg per plant. Thanks to intense research, modern clones are capable of achieving approximately 1.5 kg per plant in some cases.
Despite the potential risk of clonal selection prioritizing yield over genetic quality, many producers choose to plant a combination of the best clones, looking for a certain diversity that results in better performance, in a balance between quantity and manifestation of character.
Today there is a wide variety of Touriga Nacional clones. In an experimental vineyard at Quinta da Leda, in the Douro, there are 197 different clones of the variety. However, there are only 7 certified clones for commercial use.
In the meantime, Touriga Nacional has been recovering its planted area, initially in the Cima Corgo and then in the Douro Superior. Benefiting from the explosion of still wines in the region, it traveled to other parts of the country and became the flagship variety of the region and the country.
It was in the Dão region that the first Dão wine to feature Touriga Nacional on its label appeared in 1989, a time when the Dão was experiencing a renaissance.
As certain producers achieved success, consumer interest in the wines grew, which led to a growing commitment to Touriga Nacional. Around 1995, new players emerged and won the attention of connoisseurs. Surprisingly, despite the grape's name being mentioned on many wine labels at that time, the actual area cultivated with Touriga Nacional represented less than 1% of the total.
"People used to say, half-jokingly, that Touriga Nacional was the most planted grape variety on wine labels."
Since the early 1990's the increase in plantings has been remarkable. In 2021, according to data from the Institute of Vine and Wine (IVV), Touriga Nacional ranks third in Portugal, occupying over 13,000 hectares, or 7% of the national total. The Douro region leads the way with approximately 4,975 hectares, followed by the Dão with 3,985 hectares, and Alentejo with 1,561 hectares.
In the Vineyard and the Winery
Today Touriga Nacional is found in all Portuguese wine regions, although it prefers warmer, sunnier places, where it can withstand water shortages;
The grape performs well in variety of soils. On schist it produces intense, balanced and full-bodied wines, while granite soils offer freshness, acidity, fine tannins and striking aromas. On clay-limestone soils with a good temperature range, it has excellent color, elegant tannins, balanced acidity and no excess in alcohol. On the other hand, fertile and cool soils in the summer are not very favorable in terms of quality.
Touriga Nacional has a long cycle, ripening fully in the fall. In the Douro, it is one of the last grapes to be harvested. However, danger lurks as rains pose a serious risk to the final quality of the grape. The elasticity of its skin offers some resistance to rainwater, preventing the berry from bursting when it swells.
When the balance is right, the wines have very well-defined and focused fruit, and great freshness.
Touriga Nacional produces small bunches and its grapes have thick skins, which makes a delicate extraction process crucial during winemaking in order to avoid an excess of tannins that could leave the wine with a hard or "stiff" mouthfeel.
In the cellar, various methods obviously lead to different profiles. Vinification in stainless steel tanks results in softer wines with less pronounced tannins, while vinification in a lagar, with more exposure to oxygen and greater contact between the skins and the must, give the wine more breadth. Some winemakers start in the lagar and finish the wine in stainless steel vats. The malolactic process can take place in stainless steel to maintain elegance and freshness, or in barrels if the aim is to have less astringent tannins and greater unctuousness.
Touriga Nacional wines have an excellent affinity with French oak barrels, but a careful selection is paramount so the barrels complement the grape's profile without overpowering it. New barrels are often intermixed with aged ones. A proper use of barrels helps to make up for some deficiency in the middle of the mouth, building a sensation of fluidity and avoiding dryness in the finish.
American oak is less appreciated as it tends to mask the grape's personality. In both cases, it seems sensible to keep part of the wine unbarrelled in order to integrate it into the final blend.
Winemakers should always be cautions of the interaction between wood and Touriga Nacional, as the variety is prone to develop volatile phenols and the dreaded "Brett", responsible for the aromas of horse sweat and leather. The variety has a high content of ferulic and coumaric acid, which are used in the metabolism of brettanomyces. That's why constant vigilance is essential to avoid this situation.
What does Touriga Nacional smell and taste like?
In general, Touriga Nacional wines show an intense red color and violet hues when young. The aroma is full of ripe black fruits, with nuances of wild berries, rosemary, lavender, carum and cistus, among others. A high concentration of terpenes is responsible for its floral and fruity aromas. In addition, the grape is rich in compounds associated with the aroma of violets, which are more evident when there is little or no use of barrels in winemaking.
The aromatic intensity of this grape variety has led to differences of opinion among connoisseurs. While some may not appreciate the cheerful and floral nature of the variety, others value it because it gives the wines an immediate appeal and a recognizable varietal identity. This is less evident in Portuguese wines, which are traditionally made from blends of several grape varieties. This intensity is welcome in simpler wines, making their aroma attractive and balanced.
It is one of the most frequently vinified single varietals among the reds. In the Douro, Touriga Nacional plays an important role in the production of Port wine, often in partnership with Touriga Franca. It is also successful throughout the country, on its own or blended with other grape varieties such as Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Trincadeira, Tinta Barroca, Jaen, Alfrocheiro and even Baga.
With a great aging potential, Touriga Nacional wines develop an unmistakable elegance, aroma and velvety flavor over time. The grape's versatility is so remarkable that it is also being used to produce high-quality sparkling wines and delicious rosés.
For all this, it has gained a reputation as the national flagship variety, and of course, the name "nacional" helps.
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