Post and photography (at the bottom!) By Jessica Landre
Last weekend we made a trip out to Silvan Ridge to meet with Angela Bennett, the direct sales manager and event coordinator, to get the inside scoop on what Silvan Ridge has prepared for the upcoming Barrel Tour.
Angela has been looking forward to this event for a while now, commenting on how much she likes working with the other wineries: “It’s fun to see what everyone else is serving and get a taste of what other local wineries are doing.”
This year Silvan Ridge will be serving a Thai noodle salad paired with their Viognier, a beef roll with roasted red pepper sauce paired with their barrel sample of Malbec, and cheesecake paired with their Muscat dessert wine. Is your mouth watering? Mine certainly was.
The thing that stood out most from our conversation was when Angela described Silvan Ridge’s wine making philosophy – which is to showcase the Willamette Valley for its wonderful Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, and also to showcase the rest of Oregon for all of the other wines that are being produced. Silvan Ridge works to find little niche areas tucked down in Southern Oregon, and brings them to the forefront through the art of blending. The goal is to craft something that is representative of the whole state. The wineries grapes are 95% outsourced, so grower relationships are really the core of Silvan Ridge.
Fun Fact: Back in the ‘90s, Silvan Ridge’s Muscat became the first Oregon wine to ever be served in White House. This significantly boosted its popularity, and now the Muscat is one of Silvan Ridge’s most popular wines.
