Drink me - Douro 2024, Nat' Cool Series
Region: Douro
Producer: Niepoort
What began as a plan to produce an 'orange' wine resulted in a 'golden' one. Although the grapes were left to macerate—skins and all—for ten days in an open fermentation vat, the final result bears no resemblance to an orange wine: there is no orange hue and no powerful, oxidative character.Instead, it is a stunning golden-hued white wine with a charming, full-bodied mouthfeel and soft, fresh aromas of wildflower honey, dried apricot, and a hint of orange zest. On the palate, the wine displays a smooth texture balanced by bright, delightful acidity that carries the fruit flavors into a long, juicy finish. A subtle saline note lingers, adding precision and freshness, making the wine—despite its depth—effortlessly drinkable.
And that happens to be the key criterion for admission to the 'Nat'Cool' club: effortless drinkability.
It is so easy to drink that 75cl might not be enough, which is why it is invariably bottled in 1-liter formats.
| Volume | 100.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | Rabigato Viosinho en andere |
| Drinking window | 2025-2031 |
| Alc. | 11.5% |
| Vinification | Fermentation took place spontaneously in a traditional *lagar*, where the wine remained for approximately 11 days before being pressed into a concrete tank. There, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation were completed, and the wine was aged on fine lees for a year. |
| Ripening | Aged for a year on fine lees.<br />After this aging period, the wine was transferred to stainless steel tanks, where it settled naturally for two months before being bottled with light filtration. |
Waar serveer je ’m bij?
This began as a plan for an orange wine and turned into a golden one: the grapes went into the lagar skins and all for ten days, fermented spontaneously, and only then was the wine pressed into a cement tank. A year on the fine lees and two months in steel followed. Ten days of skin contact give colour, scent and a light grip, but nowhere near as much tannin as a real curtimenta — hence golden and not orange. Rabigato and Viosinho, and a bottle that can do something at the table that few white wines can: carry spiced food.
Grilled king prawns with tamarind
Pan-fried halloumi with pomegranate
Serveren op 11–13 °C
Dirk Niepoort's impact on the Portuguese wine landscape can hardly be overestimated. When he took over the helm from his father Rolf in 1990, as the 5th generation of the originally Dutch Van der Niepoort family, it was immediately clear that something was about to happen.
More about Niepoort →