Quinta dos Roques

Ruby color, brilliant, with an intense fruit bouquet and reminiscent of wild black currants and pine leaves. Raspberry, violet and brambles balanced out with hints of vanilla from the oak influence. On the palate it is smooth and generous with the astringency of its youth.

This is probably the finest Tinto so far. Fashioned from Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz this red sets the benchmark for the estate’s red wine. Tank fermented and aged for 6-9 months in new and seasoned barriques, it has a deep and black fruit intensity and combines silky texture with elegant flavors and freshness.

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional is a relatively tiny blue-black grape produced in very small quantities by vines that have a tendency toward rampant growth if not regularly pruned. Because the yield is smaller than that of any other commercial grape variety, and because the vines are so unruly, some winemakers steer clear of Touriga Nacional. It’s important to understand that, where this grape is concerned, quality, not quantity, is of the essence. This is one reason why we typically find the grape blended with other varietals rather than all on its own.

Touriga Nacional plays an important part in any blend, however, as it lends structure, body, texture, and warmth. It is full of strong tannins and bright acidity, two factors that help to increase the longevity of wine, and add to its complexity over time. Despite the grape’s tannic quality, Portuguese reds blended with Touriga Nacional tend to be soft on the palate and easy to drink.

Touriga Nacional produces dark and aromatic wines that can taste richly fruity and savory at the same time, often with notes of flowers and tea. The floral notes have been likened to the scent of purple violet blossoms, and when the Touriga Nacional is featured in high concentration, this aroma can be quite overpowering. This is another reason why it is often used sparingly in blends. Other aromas of note include dark berries -- namely rich, ripe blueberries, blackberries and plum -- as well as dark chocolate. There can be a bit of spice, but such flavors are secondary to the fruity and floral notes.

Due to the range of blends in which Touriga Nacional can be found -- mixed with everything from native Portuguese varietals to international standards like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, it is tough to recommend the ideal pairings for it, yet the fact that it shows up in such a range of blends should be taken as a sign of its overall versatility and flexibility. It can also be enjoyed on its own, without food.

Dao wine region

What do you look for in a red wine? Do you favour elegance over power and concentration? Do you prefer a wine that is balanced and food friendly over one that’s soft and sweetly fruited? If so, the red wines of Dão could be just what you are looking for. The key to understanding these wines lies in the geography of the region. Dão is surrounded by mountains, and the vineyards themselves are at altitudes ranging from 200–900 m. This means that the region is protected to a degree from the vagaries of the Atlantic weather system to the west, but not fully exposed to the harsh continental climate to the east. As a result, rainfall is high, but most of this falls in the winter months, leaving mostly hot, dry weather for the majority of the grape growing season. The altitude also helps temper the heat and allows the grapes to retain their all-important natural acidity. In addition, the soils here are primarily granitic in origin (illustrated left), with a high proportion of sand or in some cases some clay. It’s a soil that also tends to produce grapes with high acidity.

So this climate, coupled with the granitic soils, creates terrain perfect for making fine, elegant wines with good acid. And, as with so much of Portugal, the relatively untapped potential is now beginning to be realized on a large scale. In the past, progress in the Dão has been hampered by restrictive wine laws that insisted that almost all the grapes were processed by the big co-operatives. While there’s no reason that co-ops can’t make good wine, they have tended to take away any incentive for growers to excel in the vineyard by paying them according to quantity of grapes produced, not their quality. Over the last decade these restrictions have been removed and the average quality of Dão wine has improved tremendously: it is a region with a potentially exciting future. Investment by some of the country’s leading wine producers has flowed into the region, and there’s been a gradual shift away from the multitude of tiny smallholdings towards properly designed and planted vineyards. In addition, a number of small privately owned estates have pushed back the boundaries of quality. Dão is sometimes likened to Portugal’s Burgundy. It’s not because of any physical similarity between the regions, but because of the style of wine. Like red Burgundy, good Dão doesn’t rely on power for its effect, but instead aims at subtlety and finesse, a cause helped by the good natural acidity of the grapes. These wines range from light, peppery and spicy to more full bodied and fruity, but there is almost always a lovely suppleness and brightness to the fruit. While rather rustic examples still exist, modern fruitier wines are becoming more common. But even these modern versions still retain their essentially Portuguese character, which is surely a good thing in a world of increased standardization and uniformity.

One of the keys to this individuality is the mix of grapes employed: you won’t find international superstar grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot here. One of the unique selling points of most Portuguese wines is their reliance on indigenous varieties, and the Dão is no exception. Touriga Nacional is the leading red variety of the Dão. On its own makes strikingly spicy, peppery wines with lovely forest fruit character, but it is more commonly blended with varieties such as Tinta Roriz (the Tempranillo of Spain), Jaen and Alfrocheiro Preto. Many Portuguese winemakers are experimenting with making wines from just a single variety, but the general consensus is that blends work best.