Australian Wine from
Alternative Grape Varieties

Touriga Nacional wine variety

In Australia the variety that is usually called Touriga is nearly always Touriga Nacional. There is another variety Touriga Francesa Californian wineries are more likely to be using Touriga Francesa when they talk about Touriga.

Touriga is revered in Portugal for producing deep intense aromas in Port style wines. This is a consequence of the variety's characteristic small berries, all skin and flavour, but not much juice. The depth and richness of flavour in the best port wines owes much to the flavours of Touriga Nacional, but ports nearly always contain a mixture of varieties. In fact about 80 varieties are authorised for inclusion. The most common varieties in red port are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) Tinta Cao, Souzao, Tinta Amarella and Mourisco. White port varieties include Gouveio, Malvasia, Fina and Viosinho.

Unfortunately fortified wines are going out of fashion, and international naming rules which prevent Australian winemakers from calling fortified red wines "Port" are not helping.

But Touriga also makes good table wines.

The strong flavours of this variety can be captured in table wines. The Portuguese use it for this purpose in the Dao DOC, blended with other varieties.

In Australia several wineries are making varietal Touriga table wines. New clones of the variety with modestly higher yields are being introduced.

The challenge for winemakers is to control the tannins so that the wines can be enjoyed without excessively long aging.

Wineries in Australia using Touriga

919 Wines Riverland
Burge Family Winemakers Barossa Valley
Coates Wines McLaren Vale
First Drop Barossa Valley
Fyffe Field North East Victoria
Gapsted Alpine Valleys
Grey Sands Northern Tasmania
Kaesler Barossa Valley
Kangderaar Vineyard Bendigo
Mansfield Wines Mudgee
Mazza Geographe
Myattsfield Vineyard and Winery Perth Hills
Norse Wines Queensland Coastal
Old Mill Estate Langhorne Creek
Peel Estate Peel
Pennyfield Wines Riverland
Pennyweight Winery Beechworth
Pondalowie Bendigo
Quattro Mano Barossa Valley
Rimfire Vineyards Darling Downs
Rivendell Margaret River
SC Pannell McLaren Vale
Sevenhill Wines Clare Valley
St Hallett Barossa Valley
Stanton and Killeen Wines Rutherglen
Starvedog Lane Adelaide Hills
Surveyor's Hill Winery Canberra
Toppers Mountain New England
Wagga Wagga Winery Riverina
Windsors Edge Hunter Valley
Woodonga Hill Hilltops

I may have missed some wineries with this variety. Contact me if you know of other wineries using this variety.

Food pairing with Touriga Nacional

Touriga wines are often big and tannic, but there are plenty of plum and berry flavours in the palate as well. Pair them with robust meat dishes or with mature cheese and crackers.

I'd love to hear about your suggestions for food pairing with this variety.