Sandeman Porto Fine Tawny Wine
Sandeman Porto Fine Tawny Wine is the house's pale, easy-drinking tawny — 19.5% ABV, 750mL, selected from the lighter Douro wines of each year and aged in small oak casks in Vila Nova de Gaia, from Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Touriga Franca. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 19.5%
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Fine Tawny Port — pale, light-bodied, no age statement
- Ageing: Small oak casks, Vila Nova de Gaia; filtered and cold-stabilised before bottling
- Grapes: Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Touriga Franca (Sogrape tech sheet)
- Sugars: 95 g/L (producer tech sheet)
- Origin: Douro Valley, DOC Porto, Portugal (Sandeman, founded 1790)
The Tawny for the Aperitif Hour
Where the 10 Year is a fireside wine, Fine Tawny is the Sandeman built for the start of the evening: the blenders select the lighter wines of each year, age them in small oak casks in Gaia until the colour turns its clear red-amber, then filter and cold-stabilise the blend for a pale, fresh pour. The house behind it is the same one George Sandeman founded in 1790 — cask-branding pioneer, creator of "The Don" in 1928, part of Sogrape since 2002 — but the intent here is brightness over depth: red fruit first, wood-ageing complexity in support. Find it in our wine collection, or set it against its older sibling on the Sandeman vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Clear red-amber (official notes). Nose: Vanilla and evolved dried fruit. Palate: Light in body — fresh red-fruit flavour combining with wood-ageing complexity. Finish: Good, clean length.
How to Enjoy
Serve chilled at 12–16°C as an aperitif — the producer's own positioning — or at the end of a meal with dried fruit and nuts. No decanting needed; enjoy within about 8 weeks of opening per Sandeman.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Fine Tawny different from the 10 Year Tawny? Age and weight: Fine Tawny is blended from lighter, younger wines with no stated age and pours pale and light-bodied; the 10 Year is a 9-to-12-year blend with a deeper nut-and-raisin profile.
Is Fine Tawny sweet? It is a fortified Port at 95 g/L sugars per the producer's sheet — sweet in the Port manner, but fresher and lighter than the older tawnies.
Does it need decanting? No — it is filtered and cold-stabilised before bottling, so it pours clear straight from the bottle.
The pale Sandeman — order Sandeman Porto Fine Tawny online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.