How Electra Moscato Became the Angel Wine
People from all over love to refer to Electra Moscatos as “Angel Wine” and it’s easy to see why. Every bottle of Electra is adorned with a flying angel playing her horn, vibrant rainbow-colored wings outstretched in the air, catching the eyes of curious shoppers as they pass through the wine aisle.
Why did we make Electra Moscato?
Before Electra was our Angel Wine, it was an idea. Andrew Quady, a risk-taking trailblazer and co-founder of Quady Winery, wanted to keep things interesting when it came to the wines he was releasing into the market. His first two sweet wines, Essensia Orange Muscat and Elysium Black Muscat, opened new categories in the American wine industry upon their release in the early 1980s.
In 1990, Andrew decided to make a low-alcohol Moscato in the Moscato d’Asti style (sweet, lightly sparkling) because this wine had not been duplicated outside of Italy. He made his Moscato using a blend of 75% Orange Muscat and the remainder, Muscat Canelli instead of Muscat of Alexandria, which has less flavor but is more commonly used for making Moscatos. Orange Muscat is a rare varietal not commonly used in winemaking in the U.S., with flavors of citrus, stone fruit and honeysuckle.
Why did we name our Angel Wine “Electra”?
One night at the dinner table, Andrew and his wife (and winery co-founder) Laurel, were talking about this new wine with their children, Herb and Allie, wondering what to name it. At the time, Herb was studying Greek mythology and threw out the name “Electra” as the family discussed the electric mouthfeel that resulted from the bubbles in the wine. Their other wines – Essensia and Elysium – also started with the letter “E” and with that crisp, refreshing effect on the palate, “Electra” seemed like a perfect name to add to the Quady line of wines.
Why did we choose an angel for the label?
Believe it or not, Electra did not start out as our Angel Wine, because the angel was not our first label design. Very much a reflection of the early 1990s when it was released, Electra’s original label combined a silver metallic base with a block of abstract colors at the top and the name “Electra” in a mix of capital and lowercase letters on top of a black jagged icon. It was colorful and progressive, very much like the Moscato it adorned.
But there was just one thing: while the Quadys had a fantastic new Moscato to share, the label didn’t resonate with consumers. How were people supposed to fall in love with this new style of wine in the U.S. if they weren’t even picking it up off the shelves?
The Quadys were friends with a gentleman named Ardison Phillips, who was a restaurant owner, wine connoisseur and port lover. Ardison also happened to be a trained artist, having graduated from an art academy in Los Angeles. He painted the labels for Essensia and Elysium (see the original works of art in the Quady Winery tasting room), so Andrew and Laurel once again turned to Ardison to redesign the label for Electra.
Ardison had a fascination with art from the Renaissance Period (14th to 17th centuries), particularly art from Italy, where artists were restricted to painting religious themes. In rebellion, these artists painted their angels with different-colored feathers instead of the traditional white.
Electra becomes the Angel Wine
After a discussion with the Quadys about the lightness of Electra in comparison to their Essensia – also an Orange Muscat wine – Ardison was inspired to paint a vibrant angel floating in a red sky. He captured the likeness of Allie Quady in the angel’s face and gave the angel bold, colorful wings. Andrew and Laurel re-labeled Electra with this new imagery and the Angel Wine was born. The new label was a hit.
In 1993, Quady Winery released a red version: Red Electra Moscato, which includes the addition of Black Muscat grapes. Red Electra Moscato also features an angel; this one with a red dress but the same colorful wings. It wasn’t long before our new Angel Wine also became our best seller; to this day, Red Electra Moscato still remains our top-selling wine. Maybe there’s some magic in those colorful wings!
From 1 Angel Wine to 4
In 2019, 26 years after we released our second Angel Wine, we decided to produce another – Electra Moscato Rosé – in order to meet customers’ rising demand for rosé. This angel has a pink dress to reflect the wine’s fabulous pink color. Like Red Electra, Electra Rosé is a blend of Orange Muscat, Black Muscat and Muscat Canelli, but a different concentration that highlights notes of strawberry in our most delicate Moscato.
Our fourth Angel Wine, Electra Black, was released in 2024. Electra Black stands apart from the other Electras because it is a semi-sweet red blend that is only 50% Black Muscat. Not as sweet as Electra Moscatos due to its 50% blend of dry red varietals, Electra Black serves as a fantastic introduction to Quady’s other sweet Angel Wines.
And that is the story of how Electra Moscatos became Quady Winery’s Angel Wines. Learn more about our Electras here on their product pages. Which Electra do you love sipping on most? Tag us on social @quadywinery with your favorite Electra Angel Wine. Cheers!