How 1842 port house Niepoort made a successful pivot into table wine

The Niepoort family, originally from the Netherlands, occupies a unique place in the world of Portuguese wine. Their brand carries the hefty weight of tradition, particularly in port, which the company has sold since 1842, but it also has a long tradition of experimentation that has quietly kept the business not only relevant but also exciting for almost two centuries.

One turning point came in the late 1980s when, under the leadership of Dirk Niepoort, the family’s irreverent fifth-generation owner, the company acquired its first estate: until then, it had bought grapes from others. It then ventured away from fortified wines to unfortified ones. The shift transformed the brand’s trajectory – today about 70 per cent of its production is table wine – and helped to reposition the Douro region as a place capable of much more than the sweet stuff. “Moving into table wine wasn’t contradictory; it actually helped our port production,” says Daniel Niepoort, Dirk’s son, who now helms the oenology side of the business. “Not many people realise how much time it takes to make port – we’re talking 20 or 30 years.”

Since then, the company has grown, acquiring more land throughout Portugal and beyond, with fresh, low-alcohol and reasonably priced vintages released alongside its renowned and robust ports. Though Niepoort continues to be one of the staunchest champions of winemaking in the Douro, it hasn’t stopped dabbling in seemingly discrete worlds, from a fledgling tea business to kombucha. “If you stick to one thing, it’s easy to get blinded,” says Daniel with a smile. “It’s fun to try new things.”
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