Quady …. Sweet Wines that make a difference

Take the obvious and reverse it; an ancient Japanese motto that Andrew Quady of Quady Vineyards seems to have taken to heart. The obvious was to start a winery and make “the usual suspects”, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, etc. Quady headed in the opposite direction; he decided to make super quality sweet wines at a time when sweet wines were not the vogue and that, in 1980, was considered a major winemaking faux pax. Quady, however, had set a goal to make the most novel and interesting desert wines ever produced. He succeeded beyond even his wildest expectations.
Among the grapes that Quady utilized in his winemaking is the great great granddaddy of all wine grapes, the muscat. The Muscat has been around for a very long time. Residue of muscat wine has been found in ancient Greek, Roman and Mesopotamian tombs. Archeologists have analyzed pots from King Midas’s burial mound and discovered that Muscat grapes were a key component of the alcoholic beverage served at his funeral feast. The variety may even date further back than that and could have possibly been mans first journey into the world of wine. That makes Quady wines a journey back in time; a veritable time machine. To illustrate the relationship of the grapes to antiquity, Quady has chosen names for his wines that sound like they came out of Greek and Roman history such as Elysium, Essencia and Electra.

Quady 2008 Elysium ($16.99). Grapes grown in the California sun develop intense fruit flavors and Andrew Quady took full advantage of that by producing some of the most flavorful desert wines that had ever been made. For this wine Andrew Quady turned to a little used wine grape known as black muscat which is also a popular table grape in Europe and the Middle East. The black muscat, when fully ripe, has an aroma reminiscent of roses. These dark grapes impart a vivid and enticing magenta color, which is the eye-catching overture to a symphony of rose like aromas and a brilliant berry fruit flavor. This wine is also marked by a long and rich aftertaste. Elysium is perfect to accompany fruitcakes and pies as well as fruit compote or as a desert by itself.

Quady 2008 Essencia ($22.99). The orange muscat grape is truly well named. It produces a wine with a definite orange tint and the sweet full aroma of orange blossoms. The wine is fortified to about 15% alcohol and aged for 3 months in French Oak. The orange blossom aroma carries over to the flavor where it is joined with the sensation of apricots and raisins. The wine has a fairly high but well balanced acidity which intensifies the fruit flavor and keeps the wine from tasting sugary. Essencia is a fabulous treat on its own or with vanilla ice cream and any of the sweet citrus deserts.

Quady 2009 Electra ($15.99). With the trend tending toward lower alcohol levels, Quady devised a method to produce a low alcohol desert wine. Most desert wines are powerful, ranging from over 14% to 20% alcohol which is the legal upper limit for a beverage to still be considered a wine. At a point in the fermentation where the alcohol level reaches 4%, the wine is filtered to remove the yeast, thus effectively stopping fermentation. He applied this theory to a batch of orange muscat grapes and what resulted he named Electra because of the tingling sensation on the tip of the tongue that the wine produces. The color is a vibrant orange and the sweet full aroma of orange blossoms rise from the glass as the wine is poured. The orange blossom sensation carries over to the flavor combined with the sensation of apricots and raisins. As an added extra, there is a bit of a petulance (sparkle) to pique the interest. It is a wine that is absolutely perfect for beach parties and outdoor barbecues and a fabulous treat on or with vanilla ice cream.