246 Port anD the Douro
make something different. He began in the late 1980s making tiny quantities of red and
white wine in the most primitive conditions. After a few years of trial and (occasionally)
error, Niepoort launched a range of Douro wines (see below) that reflect the character and
substance of the region. One of Dirk Niepoort’s great achievements has been in getting
producers to co-operate with one another. With the help of an Austrian PR company, he
formed a loose association of young (and a few not so young), like-minded winemakers
known euphemistically as the ‘Douro Boys’. They hold tastings around the world and
have helped put Douro wines on the map.
Douro wines are no longer an afterthought. With an appreciative audience in Portugal
and a growing export market, the most prestigious Douro wines are commanding prices
similar to, or in excess of, vintage Port. Despite (or perhaps because of ) some voracious
pricing, the wines are also getting rave reviews in the international press. But this image
of Douro wine is just the apex of a very large pyramid. Big shippers, independent quintas
and small growers have all been looking for an alternative to Port. From 2000 onwards
there have been times when there has been a fight between the Port producers and Douro
winemakers for the best grapes. But the continued planting of vineyards, combined with
the reduction in the benefício since 2007, has left the region with a huge surplus. By 2011
the market had become saturated and the price of Douro wines collapsed.
reD wines: taMing tannins
The successful vinification of red Douro wine revolves around the need to tame the tannic
excesses of the Douro’s grapes. With careful handling, three of the most planted grape varieties,
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz, are eminently suitable for Douro reds
and there is now a raft of varietal wines made from these grapes. Low yields produce the best
wines and, provided you can afford to be selective, old vines are sometimes interplanted with
as many as twenty or thirty different varieties produce the most concentrated wines. Many
properties have now installed sorting tables to weed out grapes like Mourisco and Bastardo
(and white grapes) which would dilute the concentration afforded by other varieties. Tiny
quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are creeping into the region but their
use is only permissible in a second category of wines bottled under the uninviting name of
the Vinho Regional: Terras Durienses. The characteristics of each of the Douro’s grape main
varieties are covered in detail in Chapter 2.
Douro winemakers look to source grapes from temperate locations. Much depends on
the year, but the suitable parts of the region appear to be the Cima Corgo downstream from
Pinhão or the so called meia encosta (‘half slope’) upstream. Exposure plays a part, and in a
hot year, a north-facing vineyard can perform much better than one facing south where the
grapes will shrivel or raisinise on the vine. Grapes from the Douro Superior and the sheltered
tributaries around Pinhão produce the most robust wines; big but sometimes unbalanced and
lacking in acidity. Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca are generally the varieties with the highest
pH which often exceeds 4.0 and are not used in any quantity for premium reds. The timing