NV Quady Starboard Batch 88
Posted: 16:36 Sun 08 Jan 2023
It’s a very long time since I tried this and I’ve never had a bottle at home, so I thought it would be a fun experiment.
It’s a “Port-style” wine made by Quady (who are famous in the UK, at least, for their black muscat wines) in Madera (!) California. The blend is described as Port-like, although I’ve seen slightly different lists of what goes into it. Their website says it is mostly Tinta Roriz. I’ve also seen Tinta Cão, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca & Tinta Amarela on other lists but not Tinta Francisca which slightly surprises me.
The name is one of the better puns I’ve seen on a bottle of wine.
The colour is translucent purple / red in the centre fading to pinkish / orange. Much more in the young tawny world than that of a ruby Port.
In the nose, it has pleasantly concentrated stewed fruits. Perhaps a touch spirty for my tastes; but pleasant with the sensation of a blackberry crumble dominating.
In the mouth, the mouthfeel is noticeable: very thick and sweet with lots of syrup. The fruit is nominated by stewed plums. Very few tannins. Little acidity. The aftertaste is attractive but medium length. It reminds me a bit of some non-Port fortifies, perhaps even something like an old Banyuls.
Would I have guess this was a non-Port? Without a clue, I think not. I think I would have thought it was odd and different but not so odd and different as to say it wasn’t one.
The style is most similar to a tawny reserve, I think, or maybe some of the less-tawny 10-year-olds and it is probably a decent match quality-wise for the former. That means it is never going to be good value for money in the UK because of the huge premium you pay for its rarity and because Port is so cheap but it’s something quite fun to try. Would be also interesting to see what an older one would be like with some more barrel age but, unfortunately, they don’t seem to make one. Perhaps they can’t get the acidity high enough to make it work well?
It’s a “Port-style” wine made by Quady (who are famous in the UK, at least, for their black muscat wines) in Madera (!) California. The blend is described as Port-like, although I’ve seen slightly different lists of what goes into it. Their website says it is mostly Tinta Roriz. I’ve also seen Tinta Cão, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca & Tinta Amarela on other lists but not Tinta Francisca which slightly surprises me.
The name is one of the better puns I’ve seen on a bottle of wine.
The colour is translucent purple / red in the centre fading to pinkish / orange. Much more in the young tawny world than that of a ruby Port.
In the nose, it has pleasantly concentrated stewed fruits. Perhaps a touch spirty for my tastes; but pleasant with the sensation of a blackberry crumble dominating.
In the mouth, the mouthfeel is noticeable: very thick and sweet with lots of syrup. The fruit is nominated by stewed plums. Very few tannins. Little acidity. The aftertaste is attractive but medium length. It reminds me a bit of some non-Port fortifies, perhaps even something like an old Banyuls.
Would I have guess this was a non-Port? Without a clue, I think not. I think I would have thought it was odd and different but not so odd and different as to say it wasn’t one.
The style is most similar to a tawny reserve, I think, or maybe some of the less-tawny 10-year-olds and it is probably a decent match quality-wise for the former. That means it is never going to be good value for money in the UK because of the huge premium you pay for its rarity and because Port is so cheap but it’s something quite fun to try. Would be also interesting to see what an older one would be like with some more barrel age but, unfortunately, they don’t seem to make one. Perhaps they can’t get the acidity high enough to make it work well?