Touriga Francesa
Encyclopedia
Touriga Franca is one of the major grape varieties used to produce port wine
. Touriga Franca is lighter and more perfumed than Touriga Nacional
, adding finesse to the wine. Touriga Franca has been described by Jancis Robinson
as playing" Cabernet Franc
to Touriga Nacional’s Cabernet Sauvignon
". Not much is known about the origins, but it was probably a cross of Mourisco de Semente and Touriga Nacional
. Touriga Franca is quite similar to Touriga Nacional, needing harsh conditions to keep vigor down as it gets on the steep arid slopes of the Douro. It is usually trained low to the ground under one of the Royat systems. Yields are medium (1,5 kg/vine), not as bad as Touriga Nacional.
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
. Touriga Franca is lighter and more perfumed than Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. Touriga Nacional provides structure and...
, adding finesse to the wine. Touriga Franca has been described by Jancis Robinson
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...
as playing
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
to Touriga Nacional’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
". Not much is known about the origins, but it was probably a cross of Mourisco de Semente and Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. Touriga Nacional provides structure and...
. Touriga Franca is quite similar to Touriga Nacional, needing harsh conditions to keep vigor down as it gets on the steep arid slopes of the Douro. It is usually trained low to the ground under one of the Royat systems. Yields are medium (1,5 kg/vine), not as bad as Touriga Nacional.
Wine regions
- In Australia, there have been experimental plantings of the grape in Tasmania and other areas for port style wines.
- In Portugal, Touriga Franca is the fifth most planted grape, with 7,440 hectares. It plays an important part in portPort winePort wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
blends. Like Nacional, the variety is increasingly being used for unfortified red wine in the Douro and in the DãoVinho do DãoDão is a Portuguese wine region situated in the Região Demarcada do Dão with the Dão-Lafões sub region of the Centro, Portugal. It is one of the oldest established wine regions in Portugal. Dão wine is produced in a mountainous region with a temperate climate, in the area of the Rio Mondego and Dão...
. - In the US, producers of port style wines have experimented with using Touriga Franca as a way to improve their product.