THE MARCH SHUFFLE
Dirk Niepoort’s Modern History of Portuguese Wine
In the 1990’s when I was a young wine dork, it seemed that Dirk Niepoort was mentioned in every wine magazine I picked up.
Niepoort’s family winery, a port house established in the 1840’s, made well-regarded but often overlooked wines, specializing in vintage tawny ports or Colheitas. Dirk joined the family business in 1987 and quickly set about the task of improving the visibility of the family’s wines. And while he was successful in doing so, it is likely that Dirk will eventually be remembered more for the work he has done to improve the quality and visibility of dry Portuguese wines in general–not just those of his native Duoro Valley.
As a vocal advocate for earlier harvest times, minimal-intervention wine making, biodynamic agriculture, restrained alcohol levels, and indigenous grape varietals, it is safe to say that nobody has been more influential in the qualitative improvement and recognition of wines from Portugal. His collaborations have taken him from the Duoro to Vinho Verde, Bairada and Elantajo, always looking for the best way to let the wines express themselves and their unique terroirs.
March’s Shuffle Club wines come from Niepoort’s collaboration in Alentejo, specifically the subregion of Portalegre overlooking the Spanish border. This is a region of cork trees, black pigs, and small vineyards at high altitude (some higher than 1000 m). The project, ‘Sempar' highlights old-vine indigenous varietals–including some that are unidentifiable and up to 85 years old–native yeast fermentation, and amphora aging. These are wines of intense character and charm with one foot in the modern world and the other firmly planted in the region’s history.
Dirk Niepoort “Sempar Branco”, Alentejo-Portalegre DOC, 2020
A blend of local varieties like Bical, Fernão Pires, Alvarinho,Verdelho and Arinto grown on eroded schist and granite soils. The wine is fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeast followed by ten months in amphora. The nose shows honey and hazelnuts leading into a palate that has tropical and orchard fruit backed by vibrant citrus notes and a long, crisp, salty finish. Think of this as your everyday white, a charming bottle to enjoy with a friend. As I sat here thinking of what I wanted to eat with it, my brain kept popping up with chicken milanese. The combination of crunchy chicken and peppery, lemony arugula just sorta feels right with this wine.
Dirk Niepoort “Sempar Tinto”, Alentejo-Portalegra DOC, 2017
A field blend red of Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, and Aragonez–plus a substantial percentage of grapes that are unknown even to the vineyard owners! Fermented with native yeast in amphora and then aged an additional three years in amphora. The wine is bold and rich, meaty with earthy layers of dark berry fruits, and herbs (think thyme and rosemary). Give me this and literally any sort of roasted/grilled beef or lamb!
