Grape · Portugal
Touriga Nacional
too-REE-gah nuh-syuh-NAL
Portugal's dark flower
The backbone of vintage Port and of serious dry Douro reds: dense color, violet perfume, and tannin that needs time or a blend.
- violet
- blackberry
- bergamot
- slate
- cocoa
Profile
Bodyhigh
Acidmedium
Tanninhigh
Sugardry
Touriga Nacional is rarely 100% of a bottle — it is too structured. In Port it brings color and scent; in dry Douro and Dão it is blended with Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and others into some of Europe's great unsung reds.
Violet is the tell. If a Portuguese red smells like a florist and a dark berry, you are close.
Roast meats, bacalhau with a red, and aged cheese. Decant the ambitious ones.
At the table
Service
61–64 °F (16–18 °C). Decant young dry Douro.
