Redoma Rosé 2021, Niepoort, Douro

In the 2019 vintage our red wines showed intense colour, which made it challenging for us to produce a pale pink and crystal-clear rosé. The nose shows pleasant oaky notes complemented by a bouquet of dried flowers and hints of red berries. This Redoma Rosé owes its freshness to its high acidity and offers excellent balance on the palate: it is dry and culminates in a long, lingering finish. It is an excellent rosé for food pairings, with a good cellaring potential, much like its previous vintages.

Founded in 1842, the small Port house of Niepoort is now run by 5th generation of the family by brother and sister Dirk and Verena Niepoort. They’re one of the few small independent Port houses still in existence but are, nonetheless, a thriving concern. In addition to Port they also concentrate increasingly on the table wines of the Douro valley. It’s easy to forget that it was only a few years ago that Niepoort was only sought out by a small band of faithful followers, as stock of remarkable, artisanal wines built up in the cramped old Niepoort lodge in Rua Serpa Pinto in Vila Nova de Gaia.

These days, with a formidable international reputation which spans all styles from aged tawny to vintage, and all points in between, demand threatens to outstrip supply. Ports are all made at the old Museu de Lagares in Vale de Mendiz, which has the only circular granite lagares in the Douro.

To say that Dirk Niepoort has revolutionised wine production in the Douro Valley would only risk understatement. Since his first experimental wine in 1990, and then first commercial production of Redoma Tinto a year later, Dirk has explored terroirs and experimented relentlessly. And with all winemaking (excepting Charme, and of course Port, both at Vale de Mendiz) conducted at the almost futuristic Quinta do Napoles, a plethora of different offerings are meticulously overseen by a dynamic and energetic team.

The 2019 viticultural year was marked by dry weather. Spring began with high temperatures, which subsequently dropped and remained low during the entire summer. Some rainfall occurred at just the right point of the vines’ growth phase, and flowering took place in excellent weather conditions, leading to medium to high yields with healthy berries. The mild days and cool nights of the month of August allowed the fruit to ripen slowly and harmoniously.

Harvesting began on 8 August. The peak harvesting period took place during the week of 8 – 15 September, with the harvest ending on 1 October.

We consider 2019 to be an exceptional vintage for the “DO Douro” appellation, with a perfect balance between the natural acidity and sugar levels of the musts. This will result in white and rosés wines of great purity.

The grapes used for the Redoma Rosé stem from Quinta de Nápoles and other nearby vineyard sites.

After meticulous sorting on our sorting table, the fruit was pressed gently before being left to settle for 48 hours at low temperatures. The juice fermented spontaneously in 228L and 500L French oak barrels where the wine also matured for approximately 5 months.