Agua Viva Bruto
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2024
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh oysters, roasted suckling pig, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Dirk Niepoort's fascination with the terroir of Bairrada led to the acquisition of Quinta de Baixo, where the cool Atlantic breeze and chalky clay-limestone soils provide the perfect canvas for world-class sparkling wines. Agua Viva Bruto is a testament to this unique coastal terroir, crafted primarily from indigenous grape varieties such as Maria Gomes and Bical. Made using the traditional method (m todo clssico), this sparkling white wine undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle followed by extended lees aging. The name Agua Viva, meaning 'Living Water', evokes the crystalline purity, electric acidity, and saline minerality that define the region's ancient maritime soils. It represents a harmonious blend of traditional Portuguese viticulture and terroir-driven winemaking, showcasing a fine bead, vibrant citrus notes, and a complex, yeasty undertone.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1842 by Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort, Niepoort has evolved from a venerable family-run Port shipper into one of the most visionary and influential forces in Portuguese viticulture. Guided by fifth-generation iconoclast Dirk Niepoort alongside his son Daniel, the estate has redefined Douro winemaking by championing terroir-driven, lower-alcohol dry table wines alongside monumental fortified expressions. Sourcing fruit from steep, schistose terraces in the Cima Corgo as well as granitic and clay-limestone soils across Dão, Bairrada, Vinho Verde, and the volcanic slopes of Pico, viticulture prioritizes biodiversity, old field blends, and biodynamic principles. Winemaking emphasizes minimal cellar intervention, whole-bunch fermentations, and traditional foot-treading in granite lagares. Celebrated benchmarks span legendary, ethereal Colheitas and Vintage Ports to nuanced dry still icons such as Redoma, Batuta, Charme, and Quinta de Baixo’s Gonçalves Faria, all defined by remarkable mineral tension, textural finesse, and age-worthy elegance.
🍇 Grapes
Bical, Maria Gomes