Tinta Cão
The wine that inspired Portuguese literature
This red Portuguese variety's name means “red dog.” However, how it came by this rather strange name is completely unknown. Interestingly, the grapes are not toxic to most animals; yet in some dogs just 10 grams of grapes per kilogram of body mass can be fatal.
This autochthonous red variety was first mentioned in the mid-17th century in the Portuguese literature. The artist Rebello da Fonseca wrote succinctly: “Tinto Cão is one of the varieties that makes good wine in the Douro.”
