Churchill's Douro Touriga Nacional 2012
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Churchill's is a family-run port and Douro wine producer based in Vila Nova da Gaia and the Douro Valley. They were born of passion and pluck; an unlikely child of ancient tradition and youthful vision.
Johnny Graham founded Churchill's in 1981, when he was just 29 years old, to bring a personal, drier style and a fresh vibe to the traditional world of port. Today they produce a world-class roster of vintage, ruby and wood aged ports, in addition to Douro terroir wines that capture the spirit of the region and their beloved vineyard Quinta da Gricha.
Johnny still makes the wine and runs the company today, with help from the next generation of his family. Thy are now the last remaining independent British port house, and they plan to keep it that way.
They believe in wines that are personal and without pretense; jobs that work with nature; and moments that bring people closer to what brings them joy.
Live well, drink well, do good. Welcome to Churchill's.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.