red grape · regional staple
Touriga Franca
Douro Valley, Portugal
Say it
toh·ree·gahfran·kah
Final 'a' in both words is a reduced schwa in European Portuguese; American speakers may approximate the second syllable of each word as a short 'uh'.
On the palate
Body
medium
Acidity
medium plus
Tannin
medium plus
Aromatics
pronounced
violetblackberryblueberryraspberryblack plumrose
How you spot it blind: heady violet and mulberry aromatics with firm, velvety, well-integrated tannins
The story
2021 DNA analysis confirmed it as a natural cross of Touriga Nacional and Mourisco Tinto (Marufo); officially renamed from Touriga Francesa to Touriga Franca in July 2000 to assert its purely Portuguese identity.
Family tree: Mourisco tinto × Touriga Nacional
Where it lives
Douro · Dão
Shows up as
still redfortified