The red Niepoort Vinhos Vertente from the Douro in Portugal has been named the best red wine in its €20-€30 class. And guess what? It is on sale at Wijnen.nl for €19.95! So grab it while you can! In the Vertente, everything comes together in a perfect way: the front Douro-wines with such characteristic aromatic concentration and notes of fresh, crisp fruit, combined with the beautiful elegance found in all Niepoort wines. The wine is intense in color, aroma, and taste. Deep red in color, with concentrated aromas of fresh forest fruits, dark chocolate, and crisp acidity. The long oak aging softens the firm tannins and gives the wine exciting smoky and spicy notes. A powerful wine that already shows a beautiful balance between power and refinement, but will develop even further in the coming years. The grapes come partly from the old vines in the Pinhão Valley and partly from the young vines in the Tedo Valley. Only the best grapes are selected for this wine, followed by a second careful selection in the cellar. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, after which the wine ages for no less than 22 months in French barriques.

The 2018 Niepoort Vinhos Vertente Tinto is a field blend of grapes such as Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca, aged for 22 months in 90% used French oak. It comes in at 12.6% alcohol. Always one of the best value-for-money wines, always among the big players while coming in at a very nice price. This year it is elegant and structured, with very ripe tannins on the finish. It is easy to drink now, but it could age in your cellar for at least another decade. Delicious with pan-fried Iberico pork chops. Or, of course, with Chanfana!

Niepoort

A revolution is underway in the Douro, and Dirk Niepoort is leading the troops. For centuries, this part of Portugal was known only for its port, but nowadays, many of these Portuguese winemakers are starting to produce red and white table wines using the same grapes that were traditionally used only for port.

Dirk was born in 1964 into a traditional Port family that has been active since 1842. The first wine Dirk experienced was the Niepoort Vintage Porto from 1987. The House of Niepoort still has a complete range of Porto wines, varying from Tawny to Colheita and Garrafeira (a tawny aged in 10-liter glass bottles, which only Niepoort produces), and from Ruby to Vintage. The dry wines, which now make up approximately 75% of the winery's production, include the white wines Redoma and Redoma Reserva, and the red wines Vertente, Redoma, Batuta, and Charmes.

Today, the Niepoort family owns 80 hectares of vines in the Douro, all organically grown, which also incorporates some biodynamic principles. They have also purchased some truly amazing old vines in Bairrada, Dao and Vino Verde. Dirk now also has vineyards in the Moselle in Germany, which he vinifies together with his two sons. Although Ports are made quite traditionally, still wines have evolved significantly since the late 1990s and early 2000s, when big, bold, oaky wines were the trend. Nowadays the wines fit very well with today's more progressive drinking wheelhouse. Namely lower alcohols (often 11-13%), lighter, fresher, more drinkable wines with minimal new oak influence.

If you haven't tasted the Niepoort wines recently, you definitely must. The Portuguese Wine Revolution is taking place now. And Dirk Niepoort is at the forefront of the barricades! Start with our Niepoort Vinhos Vertente!