Dan Tells Us About the Winery & About His Upcoming Wine Club Exclusive BARREL TASTING!
This is your special invitation to taste the Estate 2010's with Winemaker Dan Barwick at Paradise Ridge Winery's lovely Santa Rosa Estate! Friday & Saturday February 18th & 19th from 11-4 Swirl, Sip & Savor this exlusive by invitation experience with Winemaker Dan Barwick. Dan is excited to share wonderful upcoming wines with our most loyal friends and dispel the myths about the 2010 vintage. Savor delectable wines from the barrel paired with artisan cheeses.
BARREL TASTING MENU 2009 Grand view Sauvignon Blanc
Redwood Hills farm Artisan Goat Cheese - California Crottin
Served with Honey dew melon blended with Greek yogurt, mint & grappa
2008 Sapphire Hill Chardonnay
Redwood hills farm Artisan Goat Cheese - French style Camellia Served with Meyer Lemon Marmalade
2007 Rockpile Zinfandel
Valley Ford Artisan Cheese – Highway One – old style Fontina aged 10 month
Served with dried California fig
2006 Rockpile Cabernet
Valley Ford Artisan Cheese - Estero Gold Valley Ford Cheese
Served with French caramelized walnut
CHEESE MENU
Valley ford Cheese Co. Owner Karen Bianchi – Moreda 15000 Hwy One Valley, Ford, CA 94972
Estero Gold, our premier product, is an Italian farmstead cheese from our own superb Jersey cows, handmade in the style of an Asiago, reminiscent of a Montasio, two of the famous cheeses from the Swiss-Italian dairy country. Our young cheese, at about four months aged, is very pliable, with grassy, fruity overtones. As it continues to age, the flavor deepens, becoming complex and nutty. It has an open texture with small holes and straw-like coloring. Its subtle, creamy and buttery taste nicely complements other foods. Its fine rustic flavor can be paired with any wine. We can’t think of a better tasting snack than a piece of Estero Gold with a ripe pear. It also melts wonderfully in pastas and polentas, or try it shredded on a salad.
Highway One is our version of an old style Fontina. Its texture is silky and creamy, with the traditional Fontina flavor that pairs so ultimately with Italian wines and cuisine. This unpasteurized cheese has been aged for at least 80 days. It is mildly fruity, with a nutty flavor and aroma. Highway 1, with a blue label, is another farmstead product from our closed herd of Jerseys in Valley Ford. It is a perfect anytime cheese. It was awarded a bronze medal at the California State Fair, and the double gold at Sonoma Harvest Fair With the creation of the Valley Ford Cheese Co., our intention was to produce an aged artisan cheese that would maximally enhance the qualities of the locally available produce, wine, breads and meats.
CHEESE MENU
Redwood hills Farm & Creamery Owner Jennifer Bice 2064 Highway 116 North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Artisan Cheese California Crottin
National Cheese Competition Best in Show Awarded “Best in Show” at the American Dairy Goat Association National Cheese Competition, our traditional French-style California Crottin goat milk cheese has a wrinkly, geotrichum candidum rind, a fluffy texture and robust, earthy flavor. Crottin is one of our most “decorated” artisan cheeses, twice voted “Best Farmstead Goat Cheese” by the prestigious American Cheese Society, and chosen as the best Crottin in a Wall St. Journal tasting. Better than the French originals!
Storage & Serving Suggestions: Store this cheese in waxed paper which allows it to breathe as it ages. If kept whole, and stored in a cool, dry environment, this cheese becomes gratable with a sharp and complex flavor at about two months of age. Superb in salads as well as an excellent cheese plate selection, this handmade delicacy is best served at room temperature.
Camembert-Style Goat Milk Cheese
Named after one of our favorite does, Camellia is a luscious, Camembert-style goat milk cheese. It has a mild, buttery flavor and firm texture when young, becoming softer and more complex with age. The white, edible penicillum candidum rind ripens the cheese from the outside inwards, becoming fully ripe when the center is soft to the touch (like a ripe peach). This usually takes 5-6 weeks, though the cheese is delicious at any age.
Storage & Serving Suggestions: Wrap cut pieces in the storage-enhancing original wrap, and store in a cool place. Enjoy this multiple award winner at room temperature, paired with fresh apple or pear and your favorite wine.
About Paradise Ridge Winery
Nestled on a 156-acre wine estate in the heart of Sonoma County minutes from downtown Santa Rosa, Paradise Ridge Winery offers spectacular natural vistas overlooking the Russian River Valley. Expansive decks and terraces open to panoramic landscapes, including rolling vineyards and pastoral wine country scenery. Visitors can sample exciting wines in our newly renovated tasting room. Winery guests are invited to relax and enjoy “The most beautiful view in Sonoma County”.
This stunning wine country property was discovered in 1977 by Walter Byck & Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars. The winery was founded in 1991 and is family owned & operated. Every attention to detail is personally overseen to give an exceptional and complete wine country experience. Wander through the outdoor sculpture exhibit in Marijke’s Grove, enjoy the Fountain Grove Winery historical exhibit or bring a picnic to savor with a bottle of our outstanding wines. For those planning a wedding or special event, Paradise offers a romantic & magical setting. Whatever your fantasy, Paradise Ridge Winery is a wine country experience not to be missed.
About Dan Barwick
Dan Barwick was born in Dover, England. Since the age of 16, Dan has worked in the food and beverage industry. From 1978 thru 1987 he worked as a manager in the famous ‘Harrods Food Halls’ in Knightsbridge London, where he also got his first taste of fine wine. During his time at Harrods, Dan completed a two year University extension course for retail management. From 1987 to 1988 he helped to set up a national chain called ‘Prêt a Manger’, now a house hold name. In 1991 he moved to Sonoma County and worked his first harvest at Matanzas Creek Winery, where his passion for wine exploded. From 1992 to 1995, Dan worked in the cellar at Ferrari- Carano Vineyards & Winery, while completing several wine and viticulture courses. It was in one of these courses he met his future bride, Sonia Byck. Sonia & Dan were married in 1995.
In May 1996, the newlyweds began a two year journey throughout the world visiting and working in different areas within the wine industry. Their adventures included harvests in Burgundy, France, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Sydney, Australia and the Barossa Valley, Australia. In 1998 they returned home and Dan took on the duties of ‘winemaker’ for Paradise Ridge Winery.
Dan is a judge for numerous wine competitions in Northern California and moonlights as a wine educator at the Santa Rosa Junior College. In his spare time Dan enjoys cooking, gardening, wine & food tasting and pairing, home improvements and studying the wine industry. He also loves spending time with his 8 year old daughter Sophia and 6 year old son Jonathan.