The Tasting Panel magazine

Aug 09

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32 / the tasting panel / august 2009 T o the uninitiated, the town of Madera may be viewed as a nondescript com- munity bordering California raisin country. To those of us in the know, how- ever, this quiet town is a hidden gem that serves as the prime mover for California's Central Valley, a burgeoning region that is now gaining respect for some of the Golden State's most highly-regarded dessert wines. The gap between these two camps has lessened of late, as the many new wineries that have cropped up over the past decade have done much to put the gleam in Madera's star. But the area's reputation for the sweet has actually been around for several decades, thanks to area pioneers like Andrew and Laurel Quady of Quady Winery, who began turning Orange Muscat grapes into gold in the form of their prize-winning Es- sensia in 1980. Essensia remains arguably the most visible brand to come from Madera, and it has pushed Quady Winery into the consciousness of many a wine aficionado, an achievement about which Andrew remains quite humble. "We're very happy that we have achieved a modicum of success with the Essensia, and with our other wines," he says. "Honestly, it feels quite serendipitous." Despite the popu- larity of Quady and the upsurge of newer wineries, the area still enjoys a somewhat obscure status on California's sprawling wine map. And that suits Andrew just fine, if only because such anonymity tends to squelch the touristy element so prevalent in the state's other viticultural regions. "The people that find Madera tend to be those who are sophisticated about seek- ing wines," he says. "They have a genuine curiosity about the kind of wine experience we have to offer." The dedication to an inquisitive clientele is very evident in Quady's tasting room, where their adventurous tasting menu rewards a probing palate by serving up a whopping 13 samples of their offerings, from the deep port style of their Starboard wines to the extra dry and sweet varieties of their recently-added Vya vermouths. This sense of exploratory intrigue is what ultimately sustains Quady as well as his fellow wineries, including Ficklin, Vineyard 208, Chateau Lasgoity, Oak Hollow, West- brook Wine Farm and others. There is no desire among them to glamorize the plain- Jane nature of the area; instead, everyone is content to let the wines, and the passion behind their creation, serve as the draw. These days, this strategy is clearly working quite handsomely for Madera. California Wine Regions Hidden in Plain Sight Quady Winery and others like it are putting Madera on the map by Richard Manning, Jr. / photos by Heather Manning Andrew Quady.

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