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Touriga Francesa (or Touriga Franca) is one of the major
grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
used to produce
port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi- ...
. Touriga Francesa is lighter and more perfumed than
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 D ...
, adding finesse to the wine. Touriga Francesa has been described by
Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...
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. In addition to being us ...
to Touriga Nacional’s
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 Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
".J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 216 Mitchell Beazley 1986 It is a cross of two other indigenous Portuguese wine grape varieties Mourisco tinto and
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 D ...
. Touriga Francesa is quite similar to Touriga Nacional, needing harsh conditions to keep
vigor Vigor or vigour may refer to: Companies * Vigor S.A., a Brazilian food company * Vigor Industrial, an American shipbuilding, ship repair, and industrial service provider in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska ** Vigor Shipyards, four shipyards in Was ...
down as it gets on the steep arid slopes of the
Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...
. It is usually trained low to the ground under one of the
Royat systems Royat (; Occitan: ''Roiat'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. As of 2019, its population was 4,359. Since Roman times, its thermal springs have made it a spa town, and the remains of the Ro ...
. Yields are medium (1,5 kg/vine), not as bad as Touriga Nacional.


Wine regions

*In
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, there have been experimental plantings of the grape in
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
and other areas for port style wines. *In
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, Touriga Francesa is the fifth most planted grape, with 7,440 hectares. It plays an important part in
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
blends. Like Nacional, the variety is increasingly being used for unfortified red wine in the Douro and in the Dão.


Synonyms

Albino de Souza, Esgana Cão, Rifete, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Franca, Touriga Francesca.


See also

*
List of Port wine grapes According to the Method of Punctuation of the Plots of Land of Vineyards of the Region of Douro (decree nº 413/2001), there were 30 recommended and 82 permitted grape varieties in Port wine production. The quality and characteristics of each grap ...
* List of Portuguese grape varieties


References


External links


Instituto dos Vinho do Douro e Porto

Vinha online
{{Wines Red wine grape varieties Portuguese wine