Winery Profiles
 Dan Barwick Paradise Ridge Winery, Russian River Valley, California
I
grew up in a family that worked
together. My parents ran luncheonettes
and delis over the years, and
I worked right alongside my
dad when I had time off from
school. My children have grown
up in the catering business
and they've each found a niche
in the company. A lot of people
run family-owned businesses
in the food and wine world,
and I find that I gravitate
toward them - things are just
more personal that way.
 Marijka Byck-Hoenselaars  Rene Byck Ask
Walter and he'll tell you
that Paradise Ridge is less
of a business than a cooperative
venture.
"We
want to have a successful,
self-sustaining winery, but
more so we want it to be something
we're proud of. It's a lot
more than just dollars and cents,"
he says. "Basically, we're
a group of people doing what
we love."
That's
certainly true for Dan.
He first worked in winemaking
decades ago, during a difficult
harvest at another Sonoma
County winery. By his estimates
he worked for about two
dollars an hour, 80 hours
a week,
filling barrels and cleaning
out tanks, sometimes until
two in the morning! "It
shouldn't have been fun,"
he says, "but I was happy
the whole time. That's
when I knew I had fallen
in love with wine."
 Walter and Maria It
all comes back to the family:
Dan has the luxury of getting
to know the vineyards because,
as Walter says, their small
winery is focused on quality
rather than quantity. What's
more, Dan takes the time
to create that personal
connection because he's doing
what he loves. When I drink
wine from Paradise Ridge,
that's an integral part
of what I'm tasting. Rene
once put it well. "What
makes our wine special?"
he said. "That's easy:
our family."
When
you're in Sonoma County, stop
by Paradise Ridge Winery and
get to know more about their
wines. Stroll through the Sculpture
Garden that graces the winery's
grounds. The collection highlights
the work of local artists because
Walter loves art as much as
he does wine.
www.prwinery.com
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