red grape · regional staple
Tinta Grossa
Douro Valley, Portugal
Say it
teen·tahbah·roh·kah
Double-r in Barroca is a guttural fricative in European Portuguese, not a trill; unstressed final vowels are reduced.
On the palate
Body
full
Acidity
medium minus
Tannin
medium minus
Aromatics
medium
red cherryblack plumblackberryraspberryrosebaking spice
How you spot it blind: deep color from thin skins paired with unusually soft, rounded tannins
The story
A 2018 molecular study confirmed Tinta Barroca as a cross of Marufo × Touriga Nacional, making it a full sibling of Touriga Franca.
Family tree: Marufo × Touriga Nacional
Where it lives
Douro, Portugal · Dão, Portugal · Alentejo, Portugal · Swartland, South Africa · Little Karoo, South Africa
Shows up as
still redfortified