California Wine Tasting with Quady Wines – Starboard Batch 88 

Why does Quady Wines call their “port” Starboard? Port is a geographic term for fortified wines that come from the Douro River Valley in Portugal. Starboard, the nautical term for right, (as opposed to port – left) is a unique to the home of Quady Wines, the San Joaquin Valley, California, on the other side of the world from Portugal. 

Quady Wines Starboard Batch 88 is a blended easy drinking port-style wine with ripe fruit and nutty elements that place it somewhere between a ruby and a tawny. Quady Wines has produced a warm, smooth and rich port-style wine with a chocolate raisin and dried fig personality. Delightfully warming by itself, Batch 88 also pairs well with cheeses or nuts, or do both. Try Blue Cheese, Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Sharp Cheddars, & Parmesan for additional for addition cheese pairing. Do you like figs? Think Figs, Walnuts and Almonds. 

Quady Wines uses the same grape varieties and similar methods that you would find in Douro Portugal, but the climate in the San Joaquin Valley is warmer and the soils are different. Instead of 140 proof fortifying brandy, Quady uses a neutral grape spirit of 190 proof. Also, Quady uses 60-gallon barrels instead of the 140-gallon pipes used in Portugal. As a result, Starboard matures earlier and has a riper more voluptuous flavor. - 20% Alcohol