Twisted
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–5 years from the vintage release to fully appreciate its fresh fruit character and lively energy.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, grilled pork chops, pasta with bolognese sauce
✨ Technical Specifications
Niepoort's 'Twisted' Red is a brilliant expression of Dirk Niepoort's mission to showcase the lighter, more whimsical side of the rugged Douro Valley. Part of an innovative international project where the wine's label features customized illustrations and stories tailored to different markets, 'Twisted' is designed to be highly accessible without sacrificing regional identity. Sourced from the steep, schistous slopes of the Cima Corgo, this wine is a traditional blend of classic Douro grape varieties, including Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, and Tinta Amarela. Unlike the historically heavy, highly extracted reds of the region, Twisted is vinified with a focus on freshness and balance, undergoing fermentation in stainless steel and aging partially in older French oak barriques to preserve its vibrant primary fruit, bright acidity, and characteristic slatey minerality.
🍾 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