THE QUADY STORY
Andrew and Laurel Quady are the founders, C.E.O. and C.F.O. respectively, of Quady Winery. Their path into the wine world began with an exodus from southern California to pursue their dream: a rural way of life making wine.
A New Life
Andrew and Laurel Quady never intended to start a winery. It just sort of happened. Andrew began his career making explosives for military countermeasures, but after a major fire shut down the plant where he was working, the Quadys decided to leave Southern California and start a new life in winemaking. After Andrew earned his master’s degree in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis and Laurel earned her accounting degree from CSU Sacramento, the Quadys relocated to Madera, California, where they purchased a home that had been bonded as a winery. Andrew was working for another winery at the time and making Zinfandel Port on nights and weekends. 1600 cases started the Quadys off on sweet feet in 1975.
He Came, He Saw, He Made Muscat
In 1979, Andrew Quady discovered a test plot of untapped Orange Muscat grapes. He had some experience working with the distinctive varietal at U.C. Davis, and his experiences tasting European sweet wines, as well as his risk-taking spirit, led Andrew to see what no one else saw in the varietal at the time: potential. He turned the Orange Muscat grapes into Essensia, which opened new premium categories in the American wine industry upon its release. This also marked the beginning of Quady’s Muscat expertise – where the pronounced flavors and aromas of Muscat varietals are celebrated and intensified rather than softened.
Heavenly Muscat
1983 brought the serendipitous arrival of Black Muscat grapes to Quady Winery. A local church had been growing them for sacramental wine, but when the church ceased operations, the grapes needed a new home. Given his success working with Orange Muscat, Andrew Quady took the Black Muscat grapes and turned them into Elysium, his second Muscat wine.
A New Winemaker
The success of Essensia Orange Muscat and Elysium Black Muscat prompted the expansion of winemaking operations at Quady Winery – and the need for a new winemaker. Michael Blaylock joined the Quady team in 1984 and spent three decades making award-winning sweet wines before retiring in 2017. Darin Peterson now resides as Head Winemaker, with Crystal Weaver-Kiessling joining Quady as Winemaker in 2022.
Please Pass the Starboard to the Right
Port is traditionally passed around the table to the left, but Starboard we pass to the right. "Port" is a protected appellation, so Andrew Quady decided to name his version "Starboard," because the San Joaquin Valley is on the opposite side of the world from Portugal, where port wine is traditionally crafted. "Starboard" is the term for the ride side of the ship, and its opposite side is "port" - the left side. Starboard resembles port wine in almost every way, except in geography, and in the softer, rounder, more voluptuous tannins that are a result of the unique climate found in the foothills of Amador County, where our Portuguese varietals are grown.
You say Moscato, we say Electra
In the late 1980s, Quady winemakers made an interesting discovery while tasting through the early stages of Essensia Orange Muscat. They noticed a lighter, crisper version of the fuller-bodied, fortified end result. Intrigued, our winemakers began perfecting the formulation in the Moscato d’Asti style, developing Electra Moscato, another trailblazing, sweet wine from Quady Winery released in 1990. Once it hit the marketplace, sweet wine fans loved Electra Moscato so much they asked Quady for a red Moscato as well. In 1993, we released Red Electra Moscato, and it quickly became our best-selling wine!
America's Original Craft Vermouth
Before it was a vermouth, Vya was a challenge. In 1997, friends of Andrew Quady who worked in the restaurant business challenged him to make a vermouth that actually tasted good. As an expert in fortified winemaking with a background in chemistry, Andrew decided he was up for the challenge. He spent two years perfecting the formulations for Vya Sweet and Vya Extra Dry Vermouths, influenced by the European culture’s appreciation of vermouth as an aperitif, and by his own winemaker’s passion for aromatics, balance, flavor and aftertaste. In 1999, Vya Vermouth was released as the first premium handcrafted, American-made vermouth.
Quady North Winery
Andrew and Laurel partnered with their son turned winemaker, Herb Quady, and founded Quady North in 2005 with a 100-acre estate vineyard in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. The family plants the vineyard with Rhone varieties Syrah and Viognier, and with Cabernet Franc, found in Bordeaux and the Loire areas of France. The warmer climate of Southern Oregon is ideal for these varieties, as opposed to the cooler Willamette Valley in Northern Oregon known for its Pinot Noir.
A Deviation from Traditional Winemaking
Andrew Quady’s taste for trailblazing is apparent in all of his wines, and Deviation is no exception. Appropriately named, this sweet wine is a deviation from traditional dessert wine formulations. Perhaps influenced by his work with vermouth in the late 90s, Andrew Quady and head winemaker Mike Blaylock decided to infuse Orange Muscat with Rose Geranium and Damiana; infusing wine with botanicals is common practice for aromatized wines such as vermouth, but this is generally not the case with dessert wines. The Rose Geranium leaves gathered from the Quady garden impart an herbal quality and a most unusual finish in a sweet wine.
Quady Winery Designated Top U.S. Producer
The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), one of the largest wine shows in the world, awarded Quady Winery its singular IWSC Trophy for the Best Overall Results in their 2009 show. Andrew Quady and Michael Blaylock were proud to be recognized for their achievements, shared among the entire Quady crew.
A Whisper of Herbs in Wine
The Quady style across all of our wines is an emphasis on aroma – bold aromatics and flavor held together in beautiful harmony. Years after releasing Vya Sweet and Extra Dry Vermouths, Vya Whisper Dry entered the market as Quady’s most subtle creation. A delicate, graceful version of Vya Extra Dry Vermouth, Vya Whisper Dry is intended to soothe the edges of spirits rather than overpower them.
Quady Winery Expands
Quady Winery began its expansion project in 2016 to exceed 100,000 cases in order to keep pace with increasing demand for Electra Moscatos and Vya Vermouths.
Continuing the Legacy of Dedicated Winemakers
In 2017, Darin Peterson took over as head winemaker at Quady Winery after working for more than a decade alongside previous head winemaker Michael Blaylock (now retired). Darin met the challenge of expansion head on, producing higher volumes of wine without compromising the quality and consistency Quady fans appreciate in our wines.
A New Angel
In 2019, almost 30 years after the launch of Electra Moscato, Quady Winery expanded the Electra family with the release of Electra Moscato Rosé. Made from Black Muscat, Orange Muscat and Muscat Canelli, Electra Moscato Rosé is not a traditional rosé, but a sweet rosé for Moscato lovers.
Vya Vermouths Get a New Look
2023 was a big year for Vya Vermouths – they got a whole new look! In the spirit of transparency about the ingredients we use, Vya labels now feature beautiful botanicals specific to each vermouth, as well as a “spirit” that embodies the essence of the vermouth. While we did not change the formulas, we wanted to put the magic that’s in the bottles, on the bottles! Read more about the Vya story and the botanicals we use at Vya.com.
A New Life
Andrew and Laurel Quady never intended to start a winery. It just sort of happened. Andrew began his career making explosives for military countermeasures, but after a major fire shut down the plant where he was working, the Quadys decided to leave Southern California and start a new life in winemaking. After Andrew earned his master’s degree in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis and Laurel earned her accounting degree from CSU Sacramento, the Quadys relocated to Madera, California, where they purchased a home that had been bonded as a winery. Andrew was working for another winery at the time and making Zinfandel Port on nights and weekends. 1600 cases started the Quadys off on sweet feet in 1975.
He Came, He Saw, He Made Muscat
In 1979, Andrew Quady discovered a test plot of untapped Orange Muscat grapes. He had some experience working with the distinctive varietal at U.C. Davis, and his experiences tasting European sweet wines, as well as his risk-taking spirit, led Andrew to see what no one else saw in the varietal at the time: potential. He turned the Orange Muscat grapes into Essensia, which opened new premium categories in the American wine industry upon its release. This also marked the beginning of Quady’s Muscat expertise – where the pronounced flavors and aromas of Muscat varietals are celebrated and intensified rather than softened.
Heavenly Muscat
1983 brought the serendipitous arrival of Black Muscat grapes to Quady Winery. A local church had been growing them for sacramental wine, but when the church ceased operations, the grapes needed a new home. Given his success working with Orange Muscat, Andrew Quady took the Black Muscat grapes and turned them into Elysium, his second Muscat wine.
A New Winemaker
The success of Essensia Orange Muscat and Elysium Black Muscat prompted the expansion of winemaking operations at Quady Winery – and the need for a new winemaker. Michael Blaylock joined the Quady team in 1984 and spent three decades making award-winning sweet wines before retiring in 2017. Darin Peterson now resides as Head Winemaker, with Crystal Weaver-Kiessling joining Quady as Winemaker in 2022.
Please Pass the Starboard to the Right
Port is traditionally passed around the table to the left, but Starboard we pass to the right. "Port" is a protected appellation, so Andrew Quady decided to name his version "Starboard," because the San Joaquin Valley is on the opposite side of the world from Portugal, where port wine is traditionally crafted. "Starboard" is the term for the ride side of the ship, and its opposite side is "port" - the left side. Starboard resembles port wine in almost every way, except in geography, and in the softer, rounder, more voluptuous tannins that are a result of the unique climate found in the foothills of Amador County, where our Portuguese varietals are grown.
You say Moscato, we say Electra
In the late 1980s, Quady winemakers made an interesting discovery while tasting through the early stages of Essensia Orange Muscat. They noticed a lighter, crisper version of the fuller-bodied, fortified end result. Intrigued, our winemakers began perfecting the formulation in the Moscato d’Asti style, developing Electra Moscato, another trailblazing, sweet wine from Quady Winery released in 1990. Once it hit the marketplace, sweet wine fans loved Electra Moscato so much they asked Quady for a red Moscato as well. In 1993, we released Red Electra Moscato, and it quickly became our best-selling wine!
America's Original Craft Vermouth
Before it was a vermouth, Vya was a challenge. In 1997, friends of Andrew Quady who worked in the restaurant business challenged him to make a vermouth that actually tasted good. As an expert in fortified winemaking with a background in chemistry, Andrew decided he was up for the challenge. He spent two years perfecting the formulations for Vya Sweet and Vya Extra Dry Vermouths, influenced by the European culture’s appreciation of vermouth as an aperitif, and by his own winemaker’s passion for aromatics, balance, flavor and aftertaste. In 1999, Vya Vermouth was released as the first premium handcrafted, American-made vermouth.
Quady North Winery
Andrew and Laurel partnered with their son turned winemaker, Herb Quady, and founded Quady North in 2005 with a 100-acre estate vineyard in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. The family plants the vineyard with Rhone varieties Syrah and Viognier, and with Cabernet Franc, found in Bordeaux and the Loire areas of France. The warmer climate of Southern Oregon is ideal for these varieties, as opposed to the cooler Willamette Valley in Northern Oregon known for its Pinot Noir.
A Deviation from Traditional Winemaking
Andrew Quady’s taste for trailblazing is apparent in all of his wines, and Deviation is no exception. Appropriately named, this sweet wine is a deviation from traditional dessert wine formulations. Perhaps influenced by his work with vermouth in the late 90s, Andrew Quady and head winemaker Mike Blaylock decided to infuse Orange Muscat with Rose Geranium and Damiana; infusing wine with botanicals is common practice for aromatized wines such as vermouth, but this is generally not the case with dessert wines. The Rose Geranium leaves gathered from the Quady garden impart an herbal quality and a most unusual finish in a sweet wine.
Quady Winery Designated Top U.S. Producer
The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), one of the largest wine shows in the world, awarded Quady Winery its singular IWSC Trophy for the Best Overall Results in their 2009 show. Andrew Quady and Michael Blaylock were proud to be recognized for their achievements, shared among the entire Quady crew.
A Whisper of Herbs in Wine
The Quady style across all of our wines is an emphasis on aroma – bold aromatics and flavor held together in beautiful harmony. Years after releasing Vya Sweet and Extra Dry Vermouths, Vya Whisper Dry entered the market as Quady’s most subtle creation. A delicate, graceful version of Vya Extra Dry Vermouth, Vya Whisper Dry is intended to soothe the edges of spirits rather than overpower them.
Quady Winery Expands
Quady Winery began its expansion project in 2016 to exceed 100,000 cases in order to keep pace with increasing demand for Electra Moscatos and Vya Vermouths.
Continuing the Legacy of Dedicated Winemakers
In 2017, Darin Peterson took over as head winemaker at Quady Winery after working for more than a decade alongside previous head winemaker Michael Blaylock (now retired). Darin met the challenge of expansion head on, producing higher volumes of wine without compromising the quality and consistency Quady fans appreciate in our wines.
A New Angel
In 2019, almost 30 years after the launch of Electra Moscato, Quady Winery expanded the Electra family with the release of Electra Moscato Rosé. Made from Black Muscat, Orange Muscat and Muscat Canelli, Electra Moscato Rosé is not a traditional rosé, but a sweet rosé for Moscato lovers.
Vya Vermouths Get a New Look
2023 was a big year for Vya Vermouths – they got a whole new look! In the spirit of transparency about the ingredients we use, Vya labels now feature beautiful botanicals specific to each vermouth, as well as a “spirit” that embodies the essence of the vermouth. While we did not change the formulas, we wanted to put the magic that’s in the bottles, on the bottles! Read more about the Vya story and the botanicals we use at Vya.com.