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What's brewing at Niepoort?

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Guest contributor
Thursday 26 August 2021
Portugal tea
Nina Gruntkowski with husband Dirk Niepoort

Porto-based writer James Mayor discovers a wine family's other favourite, home-grown drink.

What does a wine producer drink at tea time? In most cases the answer is easy to guess: wine, or, if not actually drinking it, tasting wine.

Portugal’s star wine producer is accustomed to thinking outside the box. Dirk Niepoort is not only an avowed tea drinker, he also owns a tea plantation. Chá Camélia is a very personal project, partnered by Dirk with his wife Nina Gruntkowski.

‘Welcome to paradise!’, Nina exclaims as I get out of the car. Nina is right, this is paradise. Chá Camélia...

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