Niepoort

Dirk van der Niepoort, a fifth-generation member of the founding Dutch family, has led the house since the late 1980s and transformed it from a traditional Port producer into one of the Douro's most innovative estates. Under Dirk, Niepoort expanded well beyond Port into critically acclaimed still wines, including the Redoma white and red, which helped establish the Douro as a world-class table wine region.

Niepoort's most acclaimed still wines include the Redoma branco (white) and Redoma tinto (red), sourced from old-vine parcels in the Douro Valley, as well as premium bottlings like Vertente and Charme. Dirk van der Niepoort was among the first Port producers to seriously invest in Douro table wines, working with high-altitude vineyards and minimal-intervention winemaking to produce wines that rival Portugal's top reds and whites.

Niepoort was founded in 1842 by Franciscus Marius Niepoort, a Dutch merchant who established the firm in Vila Nova de Gaia, the traditional aging and blending center for Port across the Douro River from Porto. The family has remained independent and family-owned for over 180 years, which is increasingly rare among major Port houses.

Unlike large corporate Port houses, Niepoort remains family-owned and operates on a smaller scale, sourcing grapes from long-standing relationships with Douro Valley growers rather than relying solely on estate-owned vineyards. Dirk van der Niepoort is also known for using traditional foot-treading in granite lagares for vintage Port and for experimenting with styles like colheita (single-year tawny) that many larger producers neglect.