10 Nov., 191G.] Notes on Portuguese Vine Varieties. 673 



NOTES ON PORTUGUESE VINE VARIEITES. 



By F. de Castella, Government Viticulttirist. 



(Continued from page 628.) 



Souzao, Cornifesto, Mourisco Preto, and Donzellinho Do Castello. 



The four varieties which form thei subject of the present article, 

 though not so j>ronouuced in their characters (excepting pei'haps 

 Souzao) as Alvarelhao, Bastardo, and Touriga, which have already been 

 described, are nevertheless standard sorts of the port wine region, and, 

 as such, deserve detailed mention. 



Souzao and Cornifesto belong to the Touriga type, since they produce 

 wine of deep colour, for which reason they may prove of value in Vic- 

 toria for the production of full-bodied dry red wines, as well as for com- 

 municating colour to wines of Port type. Souzao is especially interesting 

 on account of its remarkable richness in colour. 



Mourisco Preto and Donzellinho belong more to the Bastardo type, 

 producing delicate aromatic wines of light colour ; of the two Mourisco 

 seems to be the sort of most promise in Northern Victoria, where it 

 should yield excellent sweet wine. Curiously enough, it is also a very 

 fair table grape. 



Souzao. 

 Synonyms: Vinhao, Tinto do Minho, etc. 



One of the most striking port wine grapes is undoubtedly Souzao, 

 which may be considered to belong to the Touriga type on account of 

 its remarkably high colour, though in other respects it is distinctly 

 inferior to it in quality. Souzao was introduced into the Douro district 

 over a hundred years ago, when the demand set in for ports of higher 

 colour, and it is mainly the truly extraordinary amount of colouring 

 matter it contains which renders it interesting. 



Curiously enough, this grape is also remarkable for its high acidity, 

 a fact which may render it of value in Northern Victoria, especially in 

 dry seasons, when deficient acidity often requires correction. It is quite 

 possible that Souzao may prove of more value in Australia for increasing 

 the colour and correcting deficient acidity of dry wines than for the 

 making of sweet wines of Port type. It may even prove of more value 

 as regards colour than Alicante Bouschet, than which it certainly 

 contains much more acid. 



As to the exact way in which the colour is contained— whether in 

 the skins alone or in both skins and pulp— there is a curious disagree- 

 ment between some of the best known Portuguese authorities, as will 

 be seen presently ; the explanation is probably to be found in tlie state- 

 ment by Sr. Ciurimiato da Costa tliat there are two sub-varieties of 

 this vine. 



Rebello da Fonseca (1791) .says of it: — 



Tlu' Krif^lisli miTchaiits who export the {ireator pnrt of onr wines give pre- 

 ference to those which are highly coloured. Ti)is led to tiie introduction into the 

 Alto Douro of those varieties of grapes eapal)le of giving to the wine the very 

 darkest natural colour. Barnalx^ Velloso Barreto de Miranda, provedor* of the 

 Douro Wine Company, and Dr. PantaleSfi da Cunha Faria introdiirod plants of 

 Souziio from the province of Miidio, where there is much of it, f»nd propagated 



• In.spcctor-noniTiiI of the crlobratcd Companhia fieivral iIok rinhtu do Alto Doiiro, created by tho 

 Marqurs do Pomlml, with in.iiiy j)rlvllr(;pn. 



13:U4.— B 



