#daniel-niepoort

Niepoort and the New Portugal

Exploring Niepoort’s Portuguese dry wine, their love of indigenous grapes, and the future of a wine powerhouse. Mention Portuguese wine, and most enthusiasts today will nod knowingly — Vinho Verde for crisp whites, Alentejo for bold reds, Dão and Bairrada for structure and ageability. Portugal has long shaken off its one-dimensional “Port-only” image. But how did this transformation happen? One of the most fascinating ways to trace Portugal’s wine renaissance is through the impressive evolution of one of its historic Port houses: Niepoort. Over the past three decades, Niepoort has risen from a respected producer of traditional fortified wines into one of the country’s most admired names in dry, table wines. Their story, from early risks, to region-hopping, championing indigenous grapes, and a dogged pursuit of freshness, mirrors the broader shift that has propelled Portugal to new heights in recent years. From Port to Portugal’s Wine Vanguard Founded in 1842, Niepoort was long respecte