Touriga grape photo by Ryan Opaz.

Locals has a brand new wine from Treasure Hunter called Bedlam and I always like to see what grapes are in the wine and learn a bit more about them. To my shock and amazement there are actually 7 different varietals in this one! Going through the list some were very familiar like Tempranillo, Carignane, Cabernet Sauvignon; but there were two grapes I did not know anything about. Touriga and Tannat. So I decided to do some digging.

Touriga, or more specifically Touriga Nacional, is the cornerstone of the Portaguese wine world. This distinctive red wine grape has traditionally been a key component in fine ports, and increasingly, it is making its way into dry table wines. Though Port wine can be made up of 20 or more grapes, Touriga Nacional could be argued to be the defining factor in its makeup. Touriga berries are small and dark and have a high skin to pulp ratio which lends itself to intense succulent wines in good vintage years. Typically, wines produced from Touriga Nacional are deeply colored, concentrated, and fruit-filled with ripe to firm tannins. Any of these additions may fit nicely into a wine lacking one or more of these qualities, thus it is a favorable option for blending.

Come taste  this grape in the Bedlam now at Locals! I am sure we will also be seeing more of it in the future.