Tinto Cão is one of the five “noble grape” that are used in Port wine production, due to its ability to produce high-quality wines.

Tinto Cão is a black-skinned grape variety that is considered to be one of the five "noble grapes" used in the production of Port wine, Such popularity is due to its ability to yield high-quality wines with intense and rich flavors.

Tinto Cão is mainly grown in the Douro Valley, Portugal.It is well-suited to the warm climate and soils of the region. Tinto Cão has low yield, and produces small thick skin berries, which enable the grapes to be botrytis bunch rot resistant. It is not widely planted because of its low yield, but more and more winemakers began to appreciated variety in recent years. The wines made from Tinto Cão have a full body and strong character and have the ability to age well, making them highly sought after. In the Douro region, Tinto Cão is used to produce full-bodied red wines with a high alcohol content. In the Dão region, Tinto Cão can produce both great and poor wines, mainly because it is not easy to ripen in all parts of the region. However, when it reaches full maturity, it produces deeply colored, aromatic, and full-bodied wines with great potential for longevity, elegance, and length. Tinto Cão has also been planted in California, Australia, and other regions, where it is used in port-style wines and blended table wines. Tinto Cão is a great food pairing wine. It pairs well with red meats such as steak, as well as game meats and intensely flavoured dishes. It can also be enjoyed with hard cheeses such as Manchego.

The name Tinto Cão means "wine dog".

Romers has it that people gave it the name because of its "biting" high acidity and tannin.