Quady Starboard Vintage Port 1997
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2006-
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Enthusiast - Decanter
In a small San Joaquin valley town, Madera (CA), Andrew Quady discovered an unused patch of rare Orange Muscat grape, known in Italy as Moscato Fior d’Arancio. These grapes became the first Essensia Orange Muscat Dessert Wine in 1980.
Essensia’s creation marked the birth of Quady Winery's Muscat expertise - where the rich flavors of rare Muscat varieties are celebrated and intensified rather than blended and softened. Since then, Andrew Quady has produced other well-known wines including Elysium, Electra Mosc
ato, Starboard Vintage and Batch 88, as well as the first premium American vermouth of its kind – Vya Vermouth.
The varieties used by Quady Winery are rare, delicious expressions of the fruit filled San Joaquin Valley. The winemaking style is rich, full bodied, perfectly balanced, and unparalleled in any other Muscat you can find. For many, Quady Winery has become known as the experts of sweet wine.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F.
Originally a source of oenological sustenance for gold-seeking miners of the mid-1800s, the Sierra Foothills was the first region in California to produce wines from European grape varieties. Located between Sacramento and the Nevada border, this area’s immigrant settlers chose to forgo growing the then-ubiquitous Mission grape and instead brought with them superior vines from the Old World to plant alongside mining camps.
Zinfandel has been the most important variety of this region since its inception, taking on a spicy character with brambly fruit and firm structure. Amador and El Dorado counties, benefiting from the presence of volcanic and granite soils, are home to the best examples. Bold, robust Rhône Blends and Barbera are also important regional specialties.