Crazy Hatter Alentejo White wine 2020
DOC, Niepoort, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Bical, Alvarinho, Verdelho, Arinto, Fernão Pires |
| Producer: | Dirk van der Niepoort |
| Origin: | Portugal / Alentejo |
Description
Dirk Niepoort has a great enthusiasm for Alentejo's Portoalegre region. After several joint wine projects with friends, it is now time to explore Portoalegre in his own way. Dirk is passionate about the granite and slate soils and the high altitudes of the mountains in the São Mamede Natural Park, which give the wines their freshness and elegance. The character typicity comes from the vineyards, located at an altitude of between 600 and 700 metres, whose average age of the vines is around 70 years, planted in the traditional mixed planting system. A mineral scent of wet stone, blood oranges, ripe quince and dried apricots, and yellow strawflowers seduce the nose and invite the first sip. The palate is enveloped by a composition of grapefruit, lime zest and salty minerality. An interplay of creamy and at the same time juicy, fresh texture create the tension. In Portugal, it is enjoyed with Bacalhão. About the label: Those who have seen Niepoort know that he often wears a hat.
Attributes
| Origin: | Portugal / Alentejo |
| Grape variety: | Bical, Alvarinho, Verdelho, Arinto, Fernão Pires |
| Ripening potential: | 2 to 6 years after harvest |
| Drinking temperature: | 10 to 12 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Grilled fish, Sushi, Sashimi, Ceviche, Cheese board |
| Vinification: | fermentation in steel tank |
| Harvest: | strict selection |
| Maturation: | in cement tank, in used barriques |
| Volume: | 12.5 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Dirk van der Niepoort
Dirk van der Niepoort - great ambassador of the fantastic wines from the Douro Valley, is also active and creative in other Portuguese wine regions. His dream has long been to make wines in the microclimates of the Alentejo and Dãoos. The talented self-made winemaker, who likes to wear a hat, found what he was looking for and his crazy idea in these crazy times took shape in the form of Crazy Hatter wines.
Fernão Pires
Fernão Pires is an old autochthonous white grape variety in Portugal, most widespread in the regions of Bairrada (called Maria Gomes there), Tejo and Lisboa. Fernão Pires is a common Portuguese family name. This grape is probably dedicated to a personality who was important at the time but is unknown today. The variety was involved in crossings and new varieties such as Alvarinho Silvestre and Campanario. Medium-sized, conical and broad-shouldered grapes, whose berries have a muscat note, produce fragrant, floral and fruity wines. It is versatile in winemaking, contributing mainly acidity and alcohol in cuvées.
Portugal
Portugal – Much more than port
Situated on the southwestern tip of Europe, this country is, despite its small size, blessed with a multitude of landscapes. Austere mountains alternate with green valleys and golden beaches. Vines have thrived against this backdrop for over 4,000 years, brought to the peninsula by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.
Portugal has over 500 autochthonous varieties. The term derives from ancient Greek, and means roughly “of the land itself.”
