For The Love Of Port

Greetings all,

I just started getting into port. One of my friends has been introducing me and I loved just about everything I've tasted. She gave me a bottle for New Years but I don't have any information on it. She told me to save it for a special occasion. I can't find it anywhere on the web though.

The label says:
Fonseca
Ruby
Porto

The bottom of the bottle says:
750ml 1955.

Does this mean the port was bottled 58 Years ago!? I can't find any 1955 Ruby Porto only 1955 Vintage Porto.



Any help would be appreciated,

Kennith

Hello Kennith:
Thanks for joining our community - and thanks for sharing this question with us.

The world of Port is a fantastic one - welcome aboard!

I wish I could tell you that this is a very rare bottle, from a great year, absolutely stunning, the pinnacle of Port Wine - but unfortunately I can't. Because it's not...
Fonseca is producing outstanding (Vintage) port, so your friend picked a good brand. However, Ruby is the most basic category for red Port - so unfortunately it's not something special. This is a blend from grapes that were decent enough to be used for Port production, but not good enough to be used for a Vintage or a long-aged Tawny. As Rubies are a blend and can consist of wines from several years, they do not have a harvest date on the bottle.

I can't see the year 1955 on the bottle - but I don't think that this is the bottling year. When I look at the label, then this seems to me to be a bottling from the 1990's or 2000's. Looking at the price - without knowing where and when the bottle was bought - I assume that this is a price in Escudos. Which was used in Portugal until 2001. 680 Escudos where something like 4 US-Dollars back then.
Rubies do not mature anymore in the bottle - when they are bottled, they are at their peak - and should be drunk fairly quickly, as they will deteriorate over the years.

What makes this bottle special, is the fact that your friend gave it to you. This bottle triggered your interest, you researched it online and finally came to us - that all makes it special, too!
Fonseca produces a really nice premium ruby: "BIN 27". I would get a bottle of those and invite your friend over and open that bottle with her and thank her for the other bottle. You can of course also open the "Fonseca Ruby" bottle with your friend - but I'm a little bit afraid that it will not be as good as the BIN 27...

Again: Welcome to the world of Port! You are in for a fantastic ride! There are so many things to discover - and the more you know, the more questions you will have... And just feel free to ask them here in the forum - we all love to help each other!!!!

What makes this bottle special, is the fact that your friend gave it to you. This bottle triggered your interest, you researched it online and finally came to us - that all makes it special, too!

+1

I'd agree - the glass/ bottle shape does not look 1950s to me.

The motif on the label with the crest and squiggly lines was only introduced to VP bottle labels for the 85 vintage and were phased out after the 1997 vintage (i think), my best guest would be 1986/7ish - 2000/01ish, but I could well believe it was from the first half of that time period.

I haven't seen enough bottles to know when the circular glass plaque design on the bottle was changed, but that could narrow it further.

The IVDP seal is of a style that is post 1970 and is under the capsule so this is definitely not from 1955. 1980s or a few years later seems to be about right to me.

Regardless of the geek-tastic interest, I agree with others that the real value in this bottle is that your friend gave it to you. It should be opened and enjoyed sooner rather than later.

By looking at this bottle, my guess would be mid-1990s.