Andrew and Laurel Quady, Quady Wines

Andrew and Laurel Quady, Andrew and Laurel Quady, Quady Wines, Madera, California,  www.quadywinery.com, left crowded southern California and their jobs in pyrotechnics and merchandising to pursue their dream: a non-urban way of life making wine. Returning to school, Andrew graduated with a Masters in Food Science-Enology from UC Davis and Laurel became a licensed CPA. In 1975, at the urging of friend Darrell Corti, they made their first port from Amador County Zinfandel at the now defunct Lodi Vintners where Andrew was working as an assistant winemaker. In 1977, settled in Madera in California’s Central Valley with Andrew working at Heublein, they built a small winery behind their country home and made port on evenings and weekends.
In 1980 they decided to add a fortified white dessert wine to their line. The wine, from the obscure Orange Muscat grape variety was named Essensia and became a major success. In 1983, opportunity knocked when they were offered a crop of Black Muscat grapes which became the first Elysium.
By 1984 the expanding business needed space and Andrew and Laurel needed help. Fresno State graduate and former Peace Corp member Michael Blaylock, now winemaker, and Cheryl Russell, now general manager, joined and a new winery was completed. With their enthusiasm and dedication the winery continued to grow, developing more unique wines: Starboard (our euphemism for port), Electra (white and red) and VYA vermouth.
Andrew gave a tutored presentation and tasting of their award winning wines including Essensia, Elysium, Electra, Deviation and Starboard.
 
Our thanks to Conor O’Brien of James Nicholson Wine Merchants for organising this visit.

Jim Nicholson

 We were delighted to welcome Jim Nicholson, James Nicholson Wine Merchant , to the school.www.jnwine.com. The Bridgestone Irish Food Guide by John & Sally McKenna in their entry about Jim Nicholson write ‘…the work of Jim Nicholson and his wife Elspeth, is as important to the food culture as the achievement of Myrtle Allen in Ballymaloe’.
 
Jim gave a great talk and tasting with a comparative tasting of Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine and Menetou-Salon in the Loire Valley and a comparative tasting of reds from the Southern Rhone, including the famous Domaine de Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf-du-Pape (owner Daniel Brunier visited the school in 2009).