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Trincadeira (AKA Tinta amarela) Red Wine Variety

Trincadeira is the most commonly used name for this variety in Portugal, but Tinta Amarela is a widely used and accepted synonym. Amarela means yellow in Portuguese. It refers to the colour of the mature shoots.

In Portugal's Douro Valley many of the terraced vineyards are field blends of several varieties. Image from Monica749 via Pixabay

In Portugal's Douro Valley many of the terraced vineyards are field blends of several varieties as illustrated by this image. Trincadeira is likely to be among the varieties here. Image from Monica749 via Pixabay

Several of the varieties used for port wine are very suitable for table wine production, either alone or in blends.

Other varieties commonly used to make port are Tinta Roriz (AKA Tempranillo), Tinta Barocca, Tinto Cao and Touriga.

As the demand for fortified wines declines there is now quite a trend in the Douro Valley, the home of Port wine, to switch production from making fortified wines to table wines.

This same trend has been evident in Australia as well.

Iberian varieties used in Australia

These varieties now used in Australia all originated in Spain or Portugal

You can find more about the wines of the Iberian Peninsula with the Wine Map of Spain and Portugal.

Learn about Portuguese wines with this book

This book will bring you up to speed on Port wines and the varieties used.

The flavour of Trincadera

Here are a couple of descriptions of this variety

full of rich dark fruit spiced by notes of cinnamon and clove supported by rounded tannins...

Jancis Robinson, Wine Grapes

dark, aromatic, spicy tea scented, gives good colour to blends

Steve De Long,
Wine Grape Varietal Table

Trincadeira in Australia

Campbells Wines Rutherglen
First Drop Barossa Valley
G Patritti & Co McLaren Vale
Massena Wines Barossa Valley
Old Plains Adelaide Plains
Peel Estate Peel
Quattro Mano Barossa Valley
Smallfry Wines Barossa Valley
Yarra Yering Yarra Valley

Updated 17 June 2021

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