Tinta Barroca - Autochthonous Portugal

Profiles

Flavours

Intense berry and fruit aromas characterise the dark to almost black-coloured Tinta Barroca wines. Red fruits, cherries, blackberries and blackcurrants dominate the flavour, paired with a hint of dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee or cocoa and fine wood spice.

Dominant notes:

- Cherry
- blackberry
- Blackcurrant
- Dark chocolate
- coffee

Possible notes:

- Red fruit: cranberry, redcurrant, black cherry, raspberry
- Dark fruit: blackcurrant, blackberry
- Dried fruit: prune, fig
- Aged in oak: coffee, mocha, cocoa bean, vanilla, woody notes

Harmonises with

The deep dark, fruity Tinta Barroca wines are an excellent accompaniment to rump steak with grilled vegetables, beef, slow-roasted pork shoulder and lamb. But Tinta Barroca also harmonises wonderfully with pasta and pizza. When drunk on its own, a Tinta Barroca cuts a fine figure on an evening with good friends.

General information

The Tinta Barroca vine has been cultivated in the northern Portuguese Douro Valley for centuries and has always been used there to produce high-quality fortified wines. Alongside the Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Tinta Cão varieties, the Tinta Barroca is one of the six most important red wine varieties for the production of port wine in Portugal. Today, Tinta Barroca is also cultivated in South Africa, where it found its way through innovative winemakers and was first imported from Portugal at the end of the 1920s. In South Africa, the spelling "Tinta Barocca" is often used.

Tinta Barroca is a cross between the Marufo and Touriga Nacional grape varieties. The first seedlings were recorded in the Douro Valley in 1899. Until the 19th century, it was also known as Tinta Grossa. Tinta Barroca is also known as Boca de Mina, Baroccas, Barroca, Tinta Vigaria, Tinta Gorda, Tinta Grossa and Tinta das Baroccas.

In Portugal, Tinta Barroca is cultivated on around 7200 hectares, mainly in the Doura Valley, in the Trás-os-Montes and Oeste regions, in the Ribatejo and on Madeira. In South Africa, it is grown on around 400 hectares, mainly in Swartland, Little Karoo and Stellenbosch. Three quarters of South Africa's Tinta Barroca wines are produced here. Smaller stocks are found in Switzerland and Australia.

Its robustness and temperature resistance make the Tinta Barocca an ideal grape for dry regions. Tinta Barroca is the third most frequently cultivated variety on the slopes of the Portuguese Douro. The Tinta Barroca vine grows on granite, gneiss and slate soils, ripens early and produces good yields. The dark blue to blue-black colouring of the grapes gives the wines a deep red, almost violet colour. Due to its naturally high sugar content, the Tinta Barroca is suitable for the production of liqueur wines and wines similar to port. The Tinta Barocca grapes give the port wine opulence.

No single-varietal wines are produced from Tinta Barroco grapes in Portugal, just as there are only a handful of single-varietal Tinta Barroca wines in the world. Most of these are produced in South Africa. The intense, super-ripe, high-alcohol Tinta Barroca has become a trademark for some vineyards in the Western Cape. In South Africa, Tinta Barroca is synonymous with classic red wines and highly prized rosé style wines. A handful of South African producers use Tinta Barroca together with Pinotage to produce Port-style liqueur wines. Aged in French oak barrels, the red wine is wonderfully warming and sensual. The concentrated power of berry flavours and notes of mocha and vanilla linger on the nose and palate forever.