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April 11, 2008
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2008-04-11
Winemaker Profile: Paradise Ridge
DAN BARWICK
By Millie Howie
Ask Dan Barwick, winemaker for Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa “what’s new” and he hardly knows where to begin.
“We’re doing some experiments with co-fermentation of different blocks planted to a wide variety of grapes,” he says. “One blend is based on Syrah and Zinfandel with some Petite Sirah and Grenache from our estate vineyards. What we are seeking by co-fermenting the various varietals is complexity and we reach that complexity before the wines are finished and resting in the barrel. Working with many limited quantities of grapes we are pushed into picking portions of each vineyard several times to get the fruit profiles we are seeking.”
To accommodate this unusual harvesting program, Dan has set aside a special cold room which is held at an even temperature of 40 degrees through harvest so grapes can be held until he has enough open top fermenters to accommodate them.”
What all this adds up to in Dan’s vocabulary is “fun,” a word that crops up frequently in his conversations. “I wasn’t introduced to wine until I was employed in the wine department in Harrods’s Food Hall in London,” he mentions. “Even though I spent eight years in that position I didn’t pursue wine or winemaking as a career until much later.”
In 1995 he married Sonia Byck, daughter of the owners of Paradise Ridge Winery. And the couple took off on a long trip to the major wine-producing regions of the world.
One of Dan’s fun projects at the moment is the creation of a Sparkling Shiraz which will go on the market in 2009. Another is centered around a block of 80 Muscat of Alexandria vines planted in his Healdsburg garden. At the base of the vines in each row he has planted aromatic herbs: rosemary, thyme, mint, lavender, oregano, etc. with the aim of discovering if the flavors and scents of the herbs might be picked up and be evident in the wines. “ This is almost too much fun,” he says, as he looks forward to his first tiny (15 gallon) crop.
As much as Dan loves what he is doing, his attention veers off in many directions. One is the excitement of opening a second tasting room, in Kenwood where he will feature wines made from Sonoma Valley grapes and where there will be a gallery for the sculptures his father-in-law, Walter Byck delights in displaying.
The next generation, Sonia and Dan’s daughter Sophia, now six, and her brother Jonathan, just approaching four, enjoy the atmosphere of the winery and have become very adept at recognizing the aromas of various grape varieties and learning the language of the grape. Visitors might just run into this lovely family on a visit to the tasting room at Paradise Ridge Winery, at 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa. For information, directions or news about the winery check the website: www.prwinery.com or call (707) 528-9463.
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