Nat Cool Voyeur Niepoort 1 litre bottle 2019

Nat’Cool Voyeur Niepoort 2019 1 litre bottle, natural wine, low sulphur, very fresh red with soft as silk tannins, almost a full Rose rather than light red, excellent for easy drinking with or without food. The appearance is deceptive, we drank it slightly chilled outside and it could have ben Rose or light red, the appearance coming from a proportion of whites hrapes in the blend, not from making the wine like a Rose with short maceration. The nose is light and the palate bursts wit red fruits like redcurrant and raspberry with an earthiness typical for wines fermented and matured in clay amphorae which also always gives energy to the wine.

Founded in 1842, the small Port house of Niepoort is now run by 5th generation brother and sister Dirk and Verena Niepoort.

Its easy to forget that it was only a few years ago that Niepoort was only sought out by a small band of faithful followers, as stock of remarkable, artisan wines built up in the cramped old Niepoort lodge in Rua Serpa Pinto in Vila Nova de Gaia. These days, with a formidable international reputation which spans all styles from aged tawny to vintage, and all points in between, demand threatens to outstrip supply. Ports are all made at the old Museu de Lagares in Vale de Mendiz, which has the only circular granite Lagares in the Douro. Niepoort's mission has always been to be a "niche player", to produce distinctive Ports and Douro wines, combining centuries-old tradition with innovation. This continues today with new vineyard projects to produce dry, natural wines in the Douro - Bairrada - Dão triangle. The importance attached to understanding soils, climates and grape varieties has led the current head of the business Dirk Niepoort down the path of Biodynamics, a practise that respects the "moods" of Nature, to find a balance between biodiversity and minimum intervention, and the wines really speak for themselves. Many of their vineyards now have organic certification, which is very much against the grain in contemporary Port making. After 150 years of doing things just a little differently, Niepoort are now highly respected for their delicious Ports and an increasing array of natural table wines.