Grahams Six Grapes Porto

Six Grapes is labeled as a porto, and a bottle under that name is normally a Reserve-style ruby: a fortified red wine bottled young to keep its fruit, rather than aged for years in cask until it turns tawny. The listing gives no tasting notes, ABV or vintage, so what follows describes what this style usually delivers rather than a measured profile of this bottle. Expect a deep red-purple color and a nose of ripe black cherry, plum and blackberry, often with a touch of dark chocolate or baking spice. Wines like this are sweet and full-bodied, with the sweetness balanced by firm but rounded tannins and enough acidity to keep the finish from turning syrupy. Oak influence is usually modest, since rubies spend limited time in wood, so the fruit leads and the finish is warm and fairly long. Fortified wines in this style typically sit around 19 to 20 percent alcohol. Check the label for this bottle's actual figure. Serve it slightly below room temperature, around 16 to 18°C (60 to 65°F). Chilling it harder mutes the fruit and makes the alcohol seem sharper. A young ruby doesn't need decanting, though twenty minutes in the glass or a carafe will soften the first-pour intensity. Use a small, tulip-shaped glass, ideally a dedicated port glass or a narrow white-wine glass, filled to about a third. That concentrates the aromas and suits the pour size of 60 to 90 ml. For food, dark chocolate desserts and flourless chocolate cake are the classic match, since the wine's sweetness should be at least equal to the dessert's. Blue cheeses such as Stilton or Gorgonzola work well, as do aged cheddar, roasted walnuts and dried figs. A spoonful over vanilla ice cream or a splash in a pan sauce for beef or duck are practical uses too. Reserve-style ruby is made to drink on release and is not a bottle to cellar for decades. Once opened, a young ruby keeps its character for roughly two to four weeks if you reseal it with a stopper and store it in a cool place.