Touriga Nacional Wine – Time to Shine

The uninitiated to the world of wines may have never heard of this grape variety before, but Touriga Nacional is a dark skinned Portuguese grape variety being grown in various Aussie wine regions. Although there is a second grape variety called ‘Touriga Franca’, Touriga Nacional is commonly referred to as just “Touriga” as the Franca strain is not cultivated in Australia. Before Shiraz gained recognition as a bold and dry table wine, Aussie winemakers had been producing powerful port style wines with the help of the Touriga variety!

This highly tannic and dark hued grape has a slow ripening period. It is a thick skinned grape variety that features dark fruit flavours, with nuances of leather, violet and spice. This bold grape has a marvellous cellaring potential. When blended with other varieties, it shines out on its own! To retain its vibrancy and juiciness, it is best that the fruit is picked early.

Touriga became popular in the Australian wine industry owing to the contributions of St Hallett, a renowned Barossa Valley winery praised for its fortified wines. In 1976, St Hallett planted a vineyard with Touriga vines for crafting port wines. By the mid 1980s, fortified wines became all the rage! St Hallett grabbed the opportunity, and launched a new wine blend: Grenache-Shiraz-Touriga, giving a twist to the immensely popular GSM blends. Wine critics and connoisseurs alike enjoyed and appreciated this innovative blend.

While other wine estates moved on from Touriga, St Hallett kept its Touriga production intact, the demand for which has steadily picked up over the years. Although fortified wines are slowly losing traction, Touriga maintains its stardom as it can be used to craft mesmerizing table wine as well.

So if you are a fan of table wines, you now know which variety you are going to choose the next time you go wine shopping!