Andersen Ruby Reserve Port

Reserve Ruby Port Wine Reserve Ruby Port A Reserve Ruby Port label Reserve Ruby Port, is a step up in quality from standard Ruby Port, exhibiting deeper color and greater aromatic complexity. The style is often informally referred to as called 'Premium Ruby', and was once known as 'vintage character' Port in English-speaking countries. The latter term was banned in 2002 by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP), as it implied a connection with the much more expensive Vintage Port. The term 'Ruby' is neither officially nor legally regulated, but it has come to denote a youthful, powerful and fruit-forward style of Port. The red-berry fruit aromas which characterize the style match the bright red color which gave rise to the name 'ruby'. Unlike Vintage Port, most Ruby Port is a blend of younger wines from multiple vintages. Typically, Reserve Ruby wines are made from higher-quality fruit than standard Ruby Wines, and are produced to a higher standard (standard Ruby is often bulk-produced and relatively inexpensive). Most producers age their Reserve Ruby for three years or so, in large barrels or in tanks of concrete or steel. Ageing in wood allows for a slight element of desirable oxidation, while concrete and steel are inert and non-porous, and thus retain the wine's fresh, fruity qualities. It is up to the winemaker to use these materials to control the final wine style. To earn the right to the term reserve, or reserva, these wines must be sampled and certified by the region's Camara de Provadores tasting panel. Because the wines are filtered (and sometimes pasteurized) before bottling, Reserve Ruby Ports do not improve with bottle age. The small compensation for this is that they contain no sediment, so they don't require decanting.