Grape Guide
Caíño Tinto
RedCaíño Tinto is a black-berried variety grown in the far north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, split between Galicia and the Minho, in the north of Portugal, where the grape goes by Borraçal. Its wines are pale to medium ruby, with pronounced acidity, brisk tannin and a peppery, floral perfume; it turns up as a blending partner or, rarely, as a varietal bottling.
Key Characteristics
- Same variety as Borraçal in Portugal, and distinct from Espadeiro, Caíño Longo, Caíño Bravo and Caíño Blanco
- Late ripening, with potential alcohol often only 10 to 11% in the cool, wet Minho
- Highly prone to botrytis bunch rot, and also susceptible to sunburn, powdery mildew, coulure and millerandage
- Thick-skinned berries that give astringent, sometimes bitter tannins unless yields and extraction are controlled
- A preferred red in the Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras DOs, and a recommended red in Vinho Verde
Typical Flavors
Major Regions
Rías Baixas (Galicia) · Ribeiro (Galicia) · Ribeira Sacra (Galicia) · Valdeorras (Galicia) · Vinho Verde: Lima and Sousa (Portugal) · Monterrei (Galicia)
Also Known As
Borraçal (Portugal) · Caíño Redondo (Ribeiro) · Cachiño (Boiro) · Tinta Hembra (Pontevedra) · Cainho Gordo · Azedo · Bogalhal (Basto) · Olho de Sapo (Basto) · Espadeiro Redondo (Monção) · Tinta Femia
Overview
Caíño Tinto is the red grape most closely tied to the Atlantic-facing vineyards of Galicia, though its documented roots lie just across the Miño in northern Portugal. Bunches are small to medium with thick-skinned, blue-black berries, and the vine ripens late and carries high vigor on fertile ground. The resulting wines are usually pale to medium in color, with tart red and black fruit, a distinct peppery and floral perfume, high acidity and tannins that can turn astringent or bitter if the fruit is underripe or over-extracted. It has long been a minor, blending grape, and in the Minho its acidity was prized for the thin, sharp reds drunk young with local food. Interest has grown among Galician growers who treat it as a quality variety: whole-bunch fermentation, light extraction and élevage in used oak soften its edges and bring out its aromatics. Plantings remain small, and reds make up well under 1% of the Rías Baixas vineyard, which is overwhelmingly Albariño.
Origins & History
The oldest written record of the variety is Portuguese: in 1790 it was noted in the Minho as Borraçal, and a text from 1832 locates it around Porto, Penafiel and Basto, all inside or next to the Vinho Verde region. Galician records come later. In 1914 it was described as Cachiño at Boiro, on the Barbanza peninsula, and the Rías Baixas rules acknowledged it as Caíño Tinto in 1987. That the vine grows on both sides of the Miño points to a long common history across the border, though no document shows on which bank it first appeared.
Viticultural Characteristics
Budburst comes in the middle of the season and ripening is late, so full maturity is hard to reach on cool or shaded sites; the vine does better on poor, dry soils and warm exposures. Vigor is high and yields are medium but erratic, because coulure and millerandage affect it. Botrytis bunch rot is a major threat, as is powdery mildew, while Galician observations record only medium sensitivity to downy mildew. Exposed fruit can suffer sunburn in hot spells. In the Minho it was traditionally trained high up on trees and pergolas, and it also adapts to cordon training. Growers usually deal with rot and uneven ripening by thinning bunches and doing canopy work that opens the fruit zone to air.
Wine Styles & Characteristics
Varietal Caíño Tinto is pale to medium ruby, with a perfume of sour cherry, blackcurrant, violets, black pepper and herbs, a lean, fresh palate and tart acidity that carries the tannin. Where fruit is picked underripe, the tannins read as drying and bitter, and carbonic maceration is a common tool in Galicia to soften them; whole-bunch fermentation and used oak are the other approaches. In Rías Baixas it is blended with Espadeiro and Loureiro Tinto, or with Sousón, to make light, saline-edged Atlantic reds. In the Minho it traditionally formed part of the high-acid, low-alcohol, often frothy red of Vinho Verde, usually alongside Vinhão, which supplies color and depth. Potential alcohol is commonly just 10 to 11% there, and it also contributes to rosé. Quality examples can age for several years, but most are drunk young.