More Space More Quady Wine

It’s little secret anymore that we’re growing─faster than a newly planted Orange Muscat vine in the warmth of the San Joaquin Valley sun. Over the past several decades, our Electra angel has achieved global recognition in the world of Moscato wine. Vya Vermouth continues to expand in part thanks to its recognition as the world’s best vermouth by the 2017 International Wine Challenge in London. We’re so pleased by the way Vya contributes to making outstanding cocktails that we’ve started an annual celebration around it, Manhattan Month.. We’re not letting all of this go to our heads, honest. We’re just so excited to see so many finding love in what we do!

This year Quady Winery is set to produce more than 130,000 cases of wine, delivered to over 15 different countries. We’re on track to grow even more next year. All of this growth leaves us needing more… More grapes, more hands and more space! Fortunately, our ambitious 22,000 square foot expansion project is just weeks away from completion.

Quady Winery’s architecture viewed from just inside the initial entrance gate.

Take a drive towards our winery and you’ll most likely take first notice of our architecture. Designed in the early 80’s by San Francisco architect Stanley Saitowitz, our winery is the only one of its kind and a beautiful introduction to what lies within. Once you arrive, you’ll pass through the double doors, stroll the tasting room, and pass a number of hulking wine tanks. Keep going and crack open the door leading to the back of the winery. There you’ll notice another building─different from the first but almost equally as impressive. The nearly finished 20,000+ sq. ft. addition is more closely related to a supersized refrigerator than a warehouse. This building is packed with innovations and controls that allow our winemakers eyes and ears on nearly 350,000 gallons of wine all at once.

A number of tanks inside the new warehouse’s tank room are already up and running. Set to a frigid 33 degrees, the Moscato in this tank is going through its signature cold fermentation process.

It may be 100 degrees outside in the predictable valley summer (forecast: hot), but inside the recently constructed warehouse it’s a cool and comfortable 65 degrees. Not cold enough? Pass into the attached tank room where it’s only 40 degrees and your breath becomes visible. Our Electra Moscato wine is light, delicate, and requires frigid temperatures for its signature cold fermentation. While some of this artificial winter weather is generated by the building’s air conditioning units and the cooling from the tanks, it’s maintained by the building’s industry leading insulated shell. There are approximately 500, 4” thick panels that enclose the steel skeleton of the building. Each one has been painstakingly pieced together and sealed to ensure the heat stays out and the cool in. Every panel is painted snow white to reflect the warmth of the sun, which gives the building a towering radiance in the sunshine.

A look inside shows the nearly completed warehouse with only the office construction remaining.

Inside you’ll find enough space for four full size basketball courts. Amongst that space are five offices, a lab, a soon-to-be Starbucks’esque break room, a conference room and restrooms. A break area slash observation deck is planned for the top of the offices, making for a great place to relax and take in the hustle and bustle that will soon light up the area.

Quady Winery has always been committed to not only making award winning wine, but to winemaking processes that are sustainable and responsible. The new building is packed with energy efficient lighting and equipment wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. LED lights equipped with motion sensors brighten up the entire area inside of the structure using about as much energy as a dozen 60 watt light bulbs. Not that long ago, it would have taken as much energy to light up a modestly sized home. Nearly every square inch of the roof is packed with the latest in solar powered technology─producing more energy than the building consumes. Our vines get their energy from the sun, so why shouldn’t we?

A new press, one larger than any other on the property, filters our wines at a faster rate needed to keep up with the increase in supply.

This latest building project is a significant step in helping us to deliver more Electra angels around the world and to your door. However, we’re not stopping here. Plans are in the works for more expansion.

All of this expansion is really fueled by customer interest. We feel so grateful for our loyal fans, and for all the new customers that are interested in exploring our brands. We put a lot of ourselves into these wines and we want it to show.
– Darin Peterson
Winemaker for Quady Winery

Next time you’re in the area, we hope you stop by, enjoy the wine and ask to tour our latest project in its completion. Find our location and hours of operation HERE.