Why it matters
The producer
Franciscus Marius Niepoort came from Hilversum in the Netherlands to Portugal and founded the company. Dirk wanted Port wines foot trodden in traditional granite lagares because he believed tank only fermentation diminished Port's density and complexity. Foot treading presses grapes during fermentation and extracts colour and tannin through contact with the skins.
Niepoort did not own vineyards until Dirk joined his father Rolf in 1987. Before that, the base wines came from Douro growers and were matured, blended and marketed from the company's cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia. Dirk bought Quinta de Nápoles in 1987 and Quinta do Carril in 1988. Fruit from those two quintas led him to try making table wine, extending the company beyond the Port trade.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Quinta de Nápoles lies in Cima Corgo on the left bank of the Tedo, a tributary of the Douro. Cima Corgo is a Douro subregion, and the Tedo places the quinta within the valley's named landscape.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range moves between Douro table wines and Port. Redoma Tinto was first made in 1991 as Niepoort's original commercial Douro DOC wine, described as the more rustic Douro ambassador. Redoma Tinto draws on north facing vineyards more than 60 years old at Quinta de Nápoles and in the Pinhão Valley, with Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca as its principal grape varieties.
Redoma Tinto 2022 was vinified with 100% whole bunches in stainless steel lagares, followed by malolactic fermentation and approximately 22 months of maturation in old wooden barrels. Whole bunch vinification keeps the stems with the grapes during fermentation. Redoma Branco 2024 is an old vine white aged in used French oak. The Port range includes Niepoort Vintage Port and Niepoort Colheita.