Tinta Barroca
Tinta Barroca is a popular black grape in the Douro Valley in Portugal, used mainly in the production of Port as it has naturally high sugar levels making it perfect for fortified wine production. With this and the generous yields it has become a very popular grape variety not only in Portugal but in New World countries, such as South Africa, where single variety wines are made.This grape variety thrives in the cooler weather particularly the higher, north facing slopes of the valley where they are protected from the intense afternoon sunshine. If left in the intense sun the berries tend to shrivel up which can be a very costly loss of crop.