82 Port anD the Douro
as November) and needs the correct exposure to achieve the delicate balance of acidity and
alcohol for which it is renowned. Apart from being a constituent (albeit a minor one) in the
finest Ports, it is also being used for Douro wines, very occasionally as a varietal. The wines
are not particularly overt when young and need time to show finesse and complexity. Small
quantities of Tinto Cão are also planted in Dão and on the Setúbal Peninsula. In the Vinho
Verde sub-region of Basto it is known as Padeiro. A few growers are now experimenting with
Tinto Cão in Australia and California.
sousão
‘The reddest grape cultivated in Portugal’ is Cincinnato da Costa’s opening line on Sousão.
It probably originated in the Minho, where it is known by the name of Vinhão, and spread
to the Douro in the early eighteenth century as a legal substitute for baga (elderberry). In
1791, Rebello de Fonseca describes a detailed experiment in which he adds three almudes
(about 76 litres) of wine made from Sousão to a nine-pipe vat of pale wine and ended up
with a ‘very lively coloured’ blend. It was subsequently taken up by Portuguese growers
whereas the British growers preferred the teinturier grape, Alicante Bouschet.
Nothing much has changed, for Sousão is still mostly planted in old interplanted
vineyards in the Douro where it compensates for the lack of colour in varieties like
Mourisco and Rufete (q.v.). Judging by its synonyms there would seem to be three
variants: Sousão Forte (‘strong Sousão’), Sousão de Comer (‘eating Sousão’) and Sousão
Vermelho (‘red Sousão’). Sousão would not deserve much in the way of an accolade but
for its presence in Quinta do Noval’s ungrafted Nacional vineyard where in the past it
made up to 25 per cent of the blend. The deep colouring matter that it lends to a wine
is said by some to be unstable but anyone who has witnessed and tasted Noval’s 1963 or
1966 Nacional will know this to be completely untrue. Aside from colour, Sousão is also
noted for its high natural acidity. António Agrellos from Quinta do Noval maintains that
it is at its best on north-facing slopes, especially in the Douro Superior. Sousão is currently
making a modest comeback and there are now varietal Douro reds made entirely from
Sousão. In the Minho, Vinhão is responsible for much of the rasping, inky-red Vinho
Verde. Sousão is also planted in South Africa and California where one fortified wine
producer described it to me as providing ‘colour, acid and more acid’.
Rufete
This is a productive early-ripening variety that still makes up a significant proportion of old
mixed vineyards in the Douro, representing under 1 per cent of the total vine stock. There
has been a modest revival of interest in Rufete but most producers have concluded that it
produces wine with little colour, lacking in structure and volume. Rufete is the same as
Tinta Pinheira in the Dão and Beiras regions immediately south of the Douro. Both Rebello
de Fonseca and Vila Maior consider that Tinta Pinheira was the same as a French grape then
grown in Sillery (Champagne) and known there as Pinot Aigret or Pinot Dru.