The Niepoort family, originally from the Netherlands, has been creating Port Wines since 1842 and established themselves as one of the most respectable Port Houses.

Dirk Niepoort, fifth generation, runs the firm with a dedication and enthusiasm that has made him one of the most popular figures in the wine trade, and quickly became a trailblazer of table wines in Portugal with his projects focused on Terroir, elegance and the relentless pursuit of freshness. Dirk helped transform the Douro region and the way the world thinks about wine, with wines transcending the heat and displaying astounding craft and elegance.

His vision has striven to improve the company on all aspects: the vineyards were upgraded in sustainability (notably most are farmed organically, without any pesticides and herbicides) and the winery completely revamped. As for the grape crushing, Dirk is a passionate advocate of the traditional method of ‘treading’ (by foot) to extract maximum colour and flavour. These efforts resulted in magnificent examples from recent years.

Dirk Niepoort deserves the accolades he receives for his hard work, dedication and wonderful craft which propelled him to be one of the most reverred in Portugal and a world wine legend, elevating not only Port but Portugal’s dry wines.

Charme is all about elegance and balance, achieved by taking special attention to the smallest details during the entire wine-making process. Made in traditional stone lagares with 100% grape stems, Charme’s elegance is achieved using grapes from very old vineyards in Vale de Mendiz, on the banks of the Pinhão river.

The 2022 vintage was the driest year of the 21st century, with a harvest that began earlier than ever before! In the past few years, we have witnessed an increase in unpredictable weather, with more frequent extreme phenomena, such as the heat waves and heavy rains that characterised the year 2022 in the Douro. Since we farm our vineyards in a natural way at Niepoort, this climatic variability has a great impact on the final profile of our wines, which means that the 2022 vintage is one to remember. A few small batches of wines were made for the Charme in the early stages of the harvest, using 100% whole bunches foot-trodden in traditional stone lagares. After a short maceration period, the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations finished in French oak barrels, where the wine was aged for 15 months, prior to bottling.

Soil type – Schist

Grape – Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and others

Age – 70 and more than 100 years

Residual Sugar – 1.0 g/L

Alcohol – 13.1 %

With its pale garnet hue, this wine’s appearance is probably best compared to a Pinot Noir from the Burgundy region. After the outstanding 2021 vintage, 2022 was a difficult year for this style of wine due to its intensity, so this wine owes its success to early harvesting. The nose reveals the complexity of the grape varieties and the old vines making up this blend. First, floral notes appear, followed by aromas of graphite on a base of cherries and rhubarb. The oak is very discreet and balanced out by hints of aromatic herbs which lend the wine complexity and sophistication. The palate offers elegance, precision and structure. A long and lingering finish is accompanied by excellent acidity, promising great ageing potential.

Mushrooms and game dishes, such as partridge or pheasant.

James Suckling – 97 points

The 2022 Charme offers up floral aromas of roses, hibiscus flowers, cherries and raspberries. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with silky, subtle tannins, red fruit character and a delicate finish. An almost ethereal wine that maintains depth and complexity. This is made from a blend of tinta roriz, touriga franca and others from old vineyards in Vale de Mendiz. Fermented with 100% whole clusters in lagars. Aged for around 18 months in French oak. Already gorgeous but will definitely evolve favorably. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate – 98 points (2021)

I was blown away by the elegance and subtleness of the 2021 Charme, I wine I know quite well and have followed from the first vintage (I think even a non-commercial release in the beginning). It’s a red wine produced in Vale Mendiz where they make the Port, a mixture of vineyards from the village. It had a very short maceration of the full clusters in lagar, was pressed to barrels where it finished fermenting and was put through malolactic, was kept in barrel for nine months and then was transferred to the cellar in Quinta de Napoles. It has a very elegant and perfumed style, with no oak whatsoever. It’s floral, with notes of red berries and herbs and a medium-bodied palate with refined, elegant tannins and a long and supple finish with a spicy twist (from the barrels? some 15% to 20% new). This wine has been changing through the years, and this has to be the most elegant version of it, following the path of the 2018. It has a moderate 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.56 and 5.7 grams of acidity. 9,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023. Superb!

Where to start? I’ve known Dirk Niepoort for over 25 years, and I’ve followed his wines over the years. He doesn’t stop. He has grown his company like crazy. The still wines are on a new level since 2018 (they are always evolving, and they mention 2013 and 2021 as other years of change) with the arrival of winemaker Luis Pedro Cândido da Silva and the next generation of the Niepoort family, especially their son, Daniel, who joined the team in 2020. They not only produce wine in Douro but, nowadays, in most regions in Portugal—Dão, Alentejo, Vinho Verde, Bairrada…

The style is elegant, but they want the wines to age in bottle, so for them it’s all about balance. Some vineyards and wines have been certified organic since 2008. All of the vineyards they own are certified organic, but some of the grapes they buy are not. Daniel Niepoort, who’s a lot more focused on the vineyards now, told me organic is very important for him but that growers are also important and they want to keep the relationship with the growers and be a role model for them to show them that organic is possible, convincing them by being an example.

In 2022, they only got 202 liters of rain (a little less than in 2003!), but the vines adapted to the low water and yields were better than expected. They got some rain during harvest and some fungus. It was one of the most dramatic vintages in viticulture, and some plants died. But 2022 was great for Port. As for 2021, it was a great year for dry wines (but not great for Port), and there was enough water reserve in the soils. They consider it a perfect agricultural year with good yields; it has a mild spring and summer, so a longer cycle and perfect ripening of the grapes. It could be a little like 2018, 2008 and 2001—cooler years with higher acidity. 2020 was warm and dry, so the grapes were healthier. But it was the COVID-19 vintage, and that created some problems in the vineyards; everything was weird that year. As for 2023, even if still too early, the year was also great in Douro, for Luis Pedro the finest he’s seen there.