The Best Ruby Port to Enjoy in 2024 (Taste, Ruby vs Tawny Port)

Ruby Port is an easy-drinking, sweet Port Wine from the Douro Valley of Portugal. It gets its name from a brilliant red hue and the sweet flavors of red fruits.

It is typically made by blending wines from multiple vintages - quite unlike vintage Port (with a few exceptions.)

The five main grape varieties used for Ruby Port production are Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cao. 

Here’s your essential guide to Ruby Port wine - its various styles, taste, best wines, and the production process, which gives it its classic sweetness. Also, find out how it is different from Tawny Port.

Ruby Port Wine Styles

In general, Ruby Ports are meant to be drunk young. 

There are three main styles of the fruity, youthful Ruby Port, including some special long-aged ones:

1. Reserve

Reserve Ruby Port is the finest Ruby Port wine blended from the highest quality grapes in the Douro valley. It exhibits deep color and aromatic complexity.

2. Late Bottled Reserve

This fortified wine is produced from a single-year Ruby Port aged for 4-6 years in a barrel. 

It has the fruitiness of a young Ruby Port with mature aging notes.

3. Vintage

The single Vintage Port is aged for about 2-3 years in a barrel and 10-40 years in a bottle. It has balanced fruit and tannin with a good depth of flavor. 

It is best consumed after 20-40 years of age. 

The vintage Ports comes in two varieties: 

• Crusted Vintage Port: Crusted Port is a blend of full-bodied wines aged for four years in barrels. The wines are bottled without filtration, which gives them a crusty sediment layer.
• Single Quinta: It's a unique style of Vintage Port that is sourced and produced from a single estate vineyard. 

What Does Ruby Port Taste Like? 

A full-bodied Ruby Port has high acidity and alcohol levels.

Ruby Port has an intense fruit flavor of raspberry, cherry, and plum with subtle cinnamon, clove, and dark chocolate tasting notes.

To get the best of its flavor, serve your Ruby Port slightly chilled at around 60OF with chocolate desserts, blue cheese, steak, and salad dressings.

If kept in the fridge, take it out about half an hour before serving to bring up the temperature. The wine usually lasts 3-4 weeks after being opened. 

8 Best Ruby Port Bottles To Buy In 2024 (Including Tasting Notes, Pricing)

Here’s a list of highly recommended bottles for all Ruby Port wine lovers. 

1. Barbeito 'Conceito' Ruby Port, Portugal ($36)

This wine has exuberant spice, floral, black, and red fruits notes on the nose. The palate is intensely fruity and silky. 

2. Porto Cordovero Fine Ruby Port, Portugal ($32)

This Ruby Port wine possesses a well-balanced acidity with prune, black cherry, caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon tasting notes. 

3. Quinta de la Rosa Lot 601 Ruby Reserve Port, Portugal ($22)

This incredible wine is fresh and has smooth tannins with jammy black bramble flavor - perfect to pair with cheese. 

4. Quinta do Noval 'Noval Black' Port, Portugal ($21)

This Ruby Port bottle has brilliant aromatics and incredible juiciness. It has hints of black raspberry, raisin, and candied olive. 

5. Niepoort Fabelhaft Ruby Port, Portugal ($19)

This youthful wine bottles a vibrant dark fruit aroma and possesses a mesmerizing ruby color. The nose is heavy on brown sugar.

6. Taylor Fladgate Special Fine Ruby Port, Portugal ($18)

It is a classic red wine with a rich aftertaste. It is aged in large oak vats in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. 

This elegant wine possesses a plum flavor and a smooth texture - perfect to pair with soft cheeses and chocolate dessert.

7. Quinta do Infantado Ruby Port, Portugal ($18)

This elegant and juicy Ruby Port wine maintains an excellent balance of fruit, acid, sugar, alcohol, and tannin. 

8. Pocas Junior 'Pocas' Ruby Port, Portugal ($18)

This full-bodied wine has a ripe fruit aroma and a long, lingering finish. 

But how is Ruby Port different from Tawny Port? 

Ruby Port vs. Tawny Port

Both Ruby Port and Tawny Port are Port Wine styles with unique characteristics:  

• Aging Process: Tawny Ports are aged in small oak barrels, whereas Ruby Ports are aged in big oak casks.
• Taste: Tawny Port possesses a nutty, caramel flavor, whereas Ruby Port has a sweet fruit flavor.
• Color: Tawny Port has a tawny brown color, whereas Ruby Port has a brilliant dark red color. 

Ruby Port Winemaking Process

Ruby Port undergoes the same production process as Port Wine - from harvesting, juice extraction, and grape fermentation to fortification. 

The wines are aged 2-3 years in oak casks and cement vats to prevent oxidation, giving it a classic sweetness and fresh fruit character. 

Further, the wine is filtered before bottling - the reason why they don’t improve on aging. This is also the reason why it retains its red color.

Ruby port is the youngest among all Port wines because it is bottled for release soon after the 2-year aging period. 

Relish A Glass Of Ruby Port!

Ruby Port is one of the best Port wines for beginner wine drinkers. The fruity aroma and vibrant color can easily set the festive tone for family gatherings and the holiday seasons! 

Crack open this bottle of wine to use in your desserts, as a reduction sauce, or in some unique cocktail recipes.

And, if you want to invest in the age-worthy Ports or any other fine wines, check out the Vinovest website now. Explore how to easily buy, store, and sell authentic bottles from all over the world.