Drink Me
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1 to 5 years from the vintage release, when its fresh fruit profile and vibrant acidity are at their peak.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled pork chops, roasted chicken, and pasta with bolognese sauce.
✨ Technical Specifications
Niepoort's 'Drink Me' Red is a brilliant expression of the Douro Valley, conceived by Dirk Niepoort to show that the region can produce light, fresh, and highly approachable wines alongside its legendary powerhouse Ports. This wine is part of an imaginative artistic project where the label and name change depending on the destination country; 'Drink Me' is the UK and international release, featuring whimsical illustrations inspired by Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. Crafted primarily from traditional Douro grape varieties such as Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Amarela sourced from the Cima Corgo subregion, the wine undergoes fermentation in stainless steel before a portion is aged in French oak barrels. This careful process preserves the vibrant primary red fruit aromas and mineral slate character of the Douro's schist soils while adding a subtle complexity and smooth, approachable tannins.
🍾 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
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão