Niepoort Redoma Branco 2024

This is arguably the best value wine in the Niepoort portfolio, to my mind. From a parcel of old vines at altitude in the Douro with some delicate treatment from old french oak, this is a wine of poise, precision and winemaking genius. The balance between the Douro's sunshine ripeness and the pure, mineral expression of the region is superb. There is citrus, herbs and stone here, with layers of tropical fruit unfolding across the palate over the course of a bottle. Spicy, lingering and fresh, I can attest to the the suggestion that this would work very well with roast chicken. It's a Sunday staple in our house...

Niepoort has been an independent family business since its creation in 1842. Today it is led by the fifth generation, Dirk Niepoort, supported by his sons Daniel and Marco. Dirk has been a relentless innovator and creative throughout his time at Niepoort.

One of Dirk’s great initiatives was to focus on the production of spectacular unfortified, table wines showcasing the local, indigenous varieties. He has spearheaded this idea for over twenty years and in the early days was seen as a maverick, when the status quo in the Douro was to focus on port production. A futuristic winery was erected at Quinta de Napoles in 2007 and this serves as the centre of the Douro table wine production. Further rare old vines have been acquired in Bairrada, Dão and Vino Verde as Dirk continued his insatiable appetite for new projects and relentless invention. One constant throughout this extraordinary journey is that Niepoort always create wines with a lightness of touch, a supreme elegance and purity, that is so prized by today’s wine enthusiasts.

The company has long had a great reputation for port and tawny port in particular. Dirk has certainly developed this reputation further with equally fierce demand for both tawny and vintage styles. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Niepoort also created the ‘Ruby Dum and Tawny Dee’ characters to bring these two port production processes to life.