Capacity: 550ml
Alcohol content: 14%
Shinjiro Torii, encounter with wine
At the end of the Meiji era, Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory, was passionate about wine making.
He hopes to make wine in Japan and spread it nationwide. At that time, he had the opportunity to taste authentic directly imported wine at the home of Spanish businessman Serres. Surprised by the delicious taste, he began importing and selling wine from Spain. However, sales were less than satisfactory. Because the acidity of these wines is too strong, which is not suitable for Japanese tastes. Later, when he visited Seres' house again, Shinjiro tasted a sweet port wine. After taking a sip, he said loudly: "This is it! This is the sweetness suitable for Japanese people!"
The birth of Ruby
Port is a fortified wine made in Portugal . Shinjiro worked tirelessly and improved on the basis of Spanish wine, and finally succeeded in making wine suitable for Japanese tastes. He particularly focused on the beautiful color red. In the past, wines were all tawny or nearly brown. The Japanese also have taste in color. The wine must be a rich, deep purple-red color. After repeated experiments, the beautiful red, sweet and moderate alcohol content "Ruby Port" was finally born. The red jade symbolizes the sun and the Japanese flag. "This is wine made for the Japanese!" Shinjiro gave it this name with confidence. Then in 1907, April 1, Meiji 40, sales finally began.
Innovative publicity
A bottle of ruby on sale at that time cost 38 yuan. At that time, a bucket of rice (about 1.5 kilograms) was only worth 10 yuan.
This is quite a luxury item. But just as Shinjiro expected, the ruby sold well. Foreign language labels have become a symbol of "fashion". He said: "If you don't make good things, you can't sell them. But even if you make good things, if people don't know about them, you can't sell them." In the 9th year of Taisho, he wrote in large handwriting on a newspaper " An advertisement for "Ruby Port Wine" appears. At that time, a child drew some words while delivering the newspaper, and readers called to ask questions. He succeeded in astonishing the nation and making his reputation even greater. Since its release, in addition to newspaper advertisements, innovative publicity and public relations activities such as giveaways, enamel signs, and kimonos have been carried out.
Japan's first nude poster
Among Hongyu's promotional activities, the most famous one is my country's first nude poster published in Taisho 11. The image of a woman with her bare shoulders amazed the community and immediately became a topic of conversation, further enhancing Ruby's fame. The whole body is presented in a brown tone, which highlights the ruddy color of the wine in the glass. The idea of showing nudity in an elegant and classic way was also one of the reasons for the success. The model is Eimiko Matsushima. Later, she became the prima soprano of "Ruby Musical Theater" and became very popular. This poster won first place at the World Poster Exhibition in Germany.
From wine to wine
Before the release of ruby, wine was consumed as medicinal wine like traditional Chinese medicine. The wine was named "Ruby Port" and was marketed as a Western wine, which was a success. It has since become a long-selling product. As the times have changed, the label has also changed and the series has gradually expanded. In 1954, the 29th year of the Showa era, Ruby White Wine was launched. The current Ruby sweet white wine. In 1966, in Showa 41, red ruby wine with honey added was launched as a sister product. This was inspired by the ancient European "mead". In 1973, in Showa 48, the name was changed from Ruby Port to Ruby Sweet Wine. Later, in 1977, in Showa 52, the Kogyoku Party with a more fruity taste was launched. Ms. Fenglan's TV commercial "Men Don't Drink!" and the commercial song "Red Grape Heart" sung by Safe Zone have aroused topics.
With the changes of the times, Hongyu has launched various series and styles. There are still new fans and long-time fans who support and continue the brand to this day.
