2018 Prats & Symington Chryseia

You will likely not find a host of wines from the Douro region of Portugal at your local wine shop outside of fortified wines. The Douro region is home to the famous Port wine, but some of the same grapes used in Port production are also used to produce hearty complex dry red wines like the one we have on this list. Both Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional are dark skinned grapes native to Portugal, but they have different flavor profiles. The Touriga Nacional produces bigger bolder Cabernet-like flavor qualities, as well as Cabernet’s aging potential. In fact, it has recently been added as an approved blending variety in the Bordeaux region as a means of keeping pace with climate change. Touriga Franca by contrast is a lighter bodied, more aromatic grape. Together these create a balanced blend that brings out both beauty and the beast. This is a great representation of why the Douro region’s strong reputation for producing great dry red wines in addition to the one they already have for their Ports will proliferate in the US.