Sandeman represents the seventh generation of the Sandeman family, which began trading port and sherry in 1790. Those questions are apt to scare folks away. Then go into late-bottled vintage port. Among the wood-aged ports, ruby is usually aged in bulk for two to three years. These relatively inexpensive wines are fruity in flavor and deep red in color.
Tawnies are theoretically wines which linger longer in oak than their ruby counterparts.
The ruby color mellows to amber, and they taste of dried fruit, nuts, vanilla and spice. Some tawnies are made from relatively light-colored red wines, so their color is not as deep to begin with. If you double that amount, you'll buy yourself a bottle of late-bottled vintage port. These are top-quality ruby ports from a single good year bottled between the fourth and sixth year after harvest. They are fully matured prior to bottling.