Sandeman Fine Ruby Port
Grape Varietals: Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Touriga Franca
Growing Region: Douro Valley - Portugal
Head Winemaker: Luís Sottomayor
Sandeman has arguably one of the most well-known logos featuring the caped man named ‘Don’ dressed in a Portuguese student's cape and a wide Spanish hat. But for those in the know - Sandeman is well known and respected for the consistency of their dynamic range of quality Port wines. I have fond memories of visiting their terraced vineyards in the heart of the Douro and also spending quality time with the team at their stunning cellars on the water’s edge in Villa Nova de Gaia.
As each terrace is hand-picked and the fruit arrives into the winery, the bunches have their stalks removed before crushing and fermentation. Which is under controlled temperatures, and skin maceration so as to extract the best characters. The addition of grape-spirit at the ideal moment sets the balance between the wine's vivid aromatics, flavour profile and final sweetness required.
After fermentation, the wine remains in the Douro Valley until the following spring, when the wine is taken to Villa Nova de Gaia to enter the Sandeman's centuries-old lodges for ageing in oak casks, as required by the Porto Wine traditional ageing system. Throughout this time the wine is carefully tasted and assessed by the winemaking team who also make any necessary corrections and then prepare the final blend so as to keep to the desired Sandeman Fine Ruby style and character. The wines selected for the blend are usually between 2 - 5 years of age, which makes it possible to obtain a vibrant and youthful wine with an average age of 3 years. The final blend is filtered and cold-stabilised prior to bottling.
★ In your glass you are greeted by a brilliant ruby red colour and shining hue, with lifted aromas of ripe red fruits, plums and strawberry preserve. On the energizing palate this Sandeman Fine Ruby is full of confident berry flavours and has well-balanced fruit sweetness and light-hearted personality. The mouth feel is rounded and appealing with overt flavours of freshly picked dark cherries, and a lingering berry-sweet finish.
This Sandeman Fine Ruby Port has 19.5% Alc./vol. and has 95g/L of residual sugar. No decanting required, chill gently & serve in an appropriately shaped wine glass at 8°- 12°C. *NZ$34.00
CELLARING POTENTIAL: *(Review 11/3/23)
No decanting required & ready to share now. Once open, remember to store in a cool dark place, and for optimum character enjoyment, try to finish within 4-6 weeks.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Perfect wine pairing with mixed berry pastry-tarts & cheesecakes, meringue w/ berry coulis, mixed berry terrine, Port pears, and even poured over berry ice-creams - enjoy.
