NV Sandeman - Porto Founder's Reserve Ruby (750ml)

Sandeman traces its origins to 1790, when a twenty-five-year-old Scotsman named George Sandeman borrowed £300 from his father to set himself up as a wine merchant in London, trading out of Tom's Coffee House on Birchin Lane. From that modest start he built one of the great names in both Port and Sherry, and Founder's Reserve, named in his honor, is offered as a showcase of the house style built up over more than two centuries.

The wine begins with hand-picked Douro grapes that are destemmed and crushed before a controlled, temperature-managed fermentation with skin maceration to extract color and structure. Fermentation is stopped at the winemaker's chosen moment with the addition of grape spirit, balancing body against aromatic freshness. The wine then rests in the Douro through the following spring before moving to Sandeman's historic lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, where it ages in oak for an average of about four to five years, selected from the finest lots of each vintage and blended for consistency before filtering and bottling.

The result is an intense, brilliant ruby red, with rich red fruit aromas carrying a touch of age that lends real elegance. On the palate it balances the youthful fire typical of a classic Ruby with a more polished finesse, finishing with soft, drying tannins. It pairs well with chocolate mousse, mixed berry desserts, or a mild blue cheese.