2007-10-26
PARADISE RIDGE WINERY
Exciting Changes for Art, Wine & Special Events
by Millie Howie
There’s a lot going on at Paradise Ridge Winery these days, and a lot more is planned for the year ahead. Winery owner Walter Byck says all the changes have to do with wine and art and he is excited about the plans he and his architect started formulating last year. Art and wine, always the twin attractions at Paradise Ridge, will continue to be the main focus.
The remodeling of the special events areas and the tasting room will be addressed first with special emphasis on orienting the decks, wedding amphitheatre, tasting and meeting rooms toward the sensational views. Already, when a guest stands almost anywhere on the property he/she is facing some spectacular views of golden hillsides, verdant vineyards and oak groves and, in the distance, the entire Santa Rosa plain.
The approach to the hospitality center will wind past a welcoming entryway landscaped with native grasses and shrubs. The leaf-shaped deck under the towering oak tree is already a popular spot for those settling in to enjoy “Wines and Sunsets in Paradise,” each Wednesday evening from May through October. Responding to the desire of visitors to enjoy their sips of wine on the long deck, the tasting bar will have two faces, one serving tastes to those in the main salon and the other opening onto the deck. Overhead heaters warm the air and make the deck a comfortable spot even during the cooler days of fall and winter. Screens provide shade from the long rays of the sun. A “walk-in window” goes the length of the veranda giving the appearance of even greater spaciousness than it already has. New lighting in the main salon will be soft, much emanating from artistic chandeliers, providing a warm glow to the room.
The poetry terrace, a popular, tree-shaded site, is often the choice of engaged couples as the perfect venue for their wedding. Arrangements and reservations for weddings are helped along by Martha Marquez the wedding planner for Paradise Ridge.
There is still no charge for tasting the Paradise Ridge wines and the tasting menu has descriptions of all the wines in the Paradise Ridge portfolio from the Estate Sauvignon Blanc to the Estate Zinfandel, a Sweepstakes winner at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition. Each wine has won at least one gold medal in a major competition. One lovely wine, available only at the winery, is the 2005 Ode to Joy Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, dedicated to the memory of Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars, co-founder of Paradise Ridge, whose life was spent sharing all things beautiful.
Every season at Paradise Ridge is saluted with special events. In spring each year the Marijke Grove art show is installed. In 2008 Walter Byck expects Marijke’s Grove to be joined by other outdoor art gardens throughout Sonoma County in explosions of art. In August summer is welcomed with a festival of local cheeses matched to new release wines. Next year Sonia Byck Barwick, overseer of public and Paradise Ridge events hopes to have pairings of the family’s wines with recipes designed by specialty chef, Mishka Lord offered on a regular schedule.
When you ask winemaker Dan Barwick what’s new, every family member within hearing answers, “the sorting shaker table.” This table, which does indeed shake, knocks all the shot berries and raisins through a grid onto a platform where they may be removed. “I know it doesn’t sound like much,” says Dan, “but we average about 16 pounds of less-than-perfect fruit removed for every ton of grapes passing over the table.”
Looking at the 2007 harvest Dan observes that it has been a demanding year in the vineyard, but he predicts wines with fantastic flavors. “The vines have been awake a long time, from an early bud break, and we have been judicious in our use of water – just enough to keep the vines happy.” Dan, himself, is happy about a lot of things associated with this vintage. “I am looking forward to making a dry Rosé from some vines in our Zinfandel vineyard,” he says. “Those grapes ripen about two weeks behind the rest of the crop and I think they will make a beautiful wine.”
He is particularly pleased at the Brix figures he is seeing as he walks the vineyards and takes sugar readings. Long a proponent of modest alcohol levels in his wines, admitting he’d like to keep all his wines under the 14.0 level he is delighted with his vineyard findings.
In a four word evaluation of the harvest of 2007, Dan concludes, “Everything is looking spectacular.” You can taste these spectacular wines daily, from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m., at Paradise Ridge Winery, 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa. For more details, to shop for wine, join the Paradise Found Wine Club, or follow the exciting changes over the next year check the website: www.prwinery.com.
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