Quady Essensia – From 100% Orange Muscat with an aroma reminiscent of Orange Blossom and Apricot, and a lingering refreshing aftertaste, Essensia is used as a dessert accompaniment or a dessert in itself. The Orange Muscat grape variety is little known. It was once grown in France and there are some small plantings in Italy and Australia. The wine is lightly fortified to about 15% alcohol and aged for 3 months in French Oak. The wine tastes balanced, like the taste of fresh fruit.

Essensia's vibrant flavor makes it an excellent accompaniment to desserts, particularly chocolate and those containing almonds, peaches, apples, or apricots. It is also used for dipping biscotti, for moistening cakes, or for adding to trifles. With sparkling water, it makes a refreshing spritzer; with sparkling wine it makes Essensia Royale.

Quady Elysium – Black Muscat, another under appreciated muscat variety, is known in Europe as a table grape variety, Muscat Hamburg, one of the very few black skinned muscats. If ripened to about 25 brix, it attains a rose-like aroma and litchi like flavor. This rose-like aroma led us to name the wine Elysium, Greek for heaven. Drinking this, you can almost feel you have fallen into a rose garden and been transported to heaven.

Elysium is used to either accompany or replace dessert. It is wonderful with blue cheeses, with desserts containing red fruits (such as Summer Pudding, an English favorite), with vanilla, with dark chocolate, with ice cream desserts, and candlelight. One favorite is to pour the wine onto vanilla ice cream. Serve Elysium Sundae with a glass of Elysium.

QUADY STARBOARD BATCH 88

Why do we call our "port" Starboard? Because it is not port. Genuine port comes from a region in Portugal, the Douro River Valley. Starboard - the nautical term for right (as opposed to port - left) is unique to our place.

How is Starboard different? We use the same grape varieties and similar methods as in the Douro, but our climate is warmer and the soils different. Instead of 140 proof fortifying brandy, we use a neutral grape spirit, 190 proof, for fortifying. We use 60 gallon barrels instead of 140 gallon pipes used in Portugal. Starboard matures earlier and has a riper more voluptuous flavor.

Starboard Batch 88 - The grapes in Batch 88 are primarily Tinta Roriz from the Madera area. The vineyard is managed to give loose bunches and a small crop. The blend is smooth and soft with a chocolate raisin character. Several different vintages are used in the blend which has an average age of about 5 years. In the port business this type of blend is called "Vintage Character."

www.quadywinery.com