The house grapes · red

Touriga Franca: the workhorse that rules the Douro

Touriga Franca is the most planted red grape in the Douro, in Portugal, and yet few people know its name. In the glass, it gives a deeply colored wine with lots of dark fruit, a floral perfume and a firm but soft tannin. It's the luxury workhorse of Port wine and of the Douro reds.

129 house labels have Touriga Franca9 are Touriga Franca onlyfrom Portugal

Where it comes from: the daughter of Touriga Nacional

Despite the name, it isn't French. VIVC, the international catalog of grape varieties, records its origin in Portugal and a parentage confirmed by DNA analysis: it was born from a natural cross between Touriga Nacional and Marufo, a Portuguese grape that also goes by Mourisco Tinto.

Until 2000, its official name was Touriga Francesa. That comes from ADVID, the Douro viticulture association, which describes the grape as traditional to the region. And where did the Francesa come from? The house found no serious source that explains it, so no legend here.

What it's like in the glass

Dark color and fruit to spare: blackberry, black fruit jam. On top, a floral perfume, like rose. Portuguese grape profiles also mention esteva (gum rockrose), a shrub from the Portuguese scrubland with a somewhat resinous smell.

In the mouth, it's dense and firm, but not rough: the tannin is strong and velvety at the same time. The acidity is medium, a bit lower than that of other Douro grapes. The result is a round red, easy to like.

A vine leaf, a bunch of red grapes and a glass of Touriga Franca wine. — fig. 1From bunch to glass: dark color, fruit to spare and a floral perfume.

Why it rules the Douro

Numbers from the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto): in 2023, Touriga Franca covered 10,727 hectares, 25% of the vineyards in the Douro Demarcated Region. A quarter of the region's entire vineyard. That's more than double the area of Touriga Nacional, one of its parent grapes.

The reason is practical. It yields reliably and stands up well to disease, says the IVDP. For anyone tending vines on the Douro's slopes, that's worth its weight in gold.

What it pairs with

Meat with sauce and a bit of sweetness in the recipe: Sunday roast beef, picadinho (diced beef stew), pork ribs with barbecue sauce, a burger with caramelized onions, stroganoff. The velvety tannin doesn't fight the sauce.

With Port, it shows up in a different way. A young, fruity red Port goes well with chocolate cake or with guava paste and cheese, our Romeu e Julieta. All suggestions: your taste is the boss.

Where it shines today

In the Douro, first of all. The IVDP calls it one of the pillars of the region's wines, with an important role in Port and in dry reds. Wines of Portugal says it has also spread across the northern half of Portugal, and the grape is accepted in denominations in other regions of the country, from Alentejo to Setúbal.

In Brazil, Chile and Argentina, the house found no plantings recorded in an official source. Here in Brazil, it arrives inside Portuguese bottles.

Its other names

Touriga Francesa is the old name: if it shows up in a book or on an older label, that's the one. VIVC also lists regional nicknames, like Tinta da Barca and Tourigo Francês.

Varietal or blend?

Almost always in a blend. The IVDP says it does well in the blend with Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional, and that trio shows up together in lots of Douro reds. A Touriga Franca varietal does exist and is worth hunting down: it's the way to hear its voice alone, without the gang.