Sandeman Ruby Port

The hand-picked grapes are destemmed and crushed before fermentation at controlled temperatures, with some skin maceration to extract flavour components from the skins. The addition of grape spirit at the ideal moment sets the balance between the wine's sweetness and bouquet. The moment of fortification is chosen by the winemaker following strict control of fermentation temperatures and densities according to the vine variety, maturation stage and the final sweetness required. After the harvest, the wines remain in the Douro until the following spring, when they are taken to Vila Nova de Gaia and enter Sandeman's centuries-old lodges. The final blend results from a selection of wines of between two and five years of age to obtain a fresh, young wine with an average age of three years. The final blend is filtered and cold-stabilised prior to bottling.