Paradisos del Sol

Paul Vandenberg, owner and winemaker for Paradisos del Sol, is mad. We’re not talking “Mad Hatter” mad, but mad in the best sense of the word. He’s mad about perfecting “pure and natural” wine, and views himself as a winegrower, not a winemaker.

As you approach Paradisos del Sol’s tasting room outside Zillah, the colorful flags, outdoor sculpture, and chickens scampering around the backyard might have you wondering if you took a wrong turn. There may also be a strange-looking guy wearing wildly colored pants positioned by the front door greeting visitors. The greeter is Paul himself. Like one of those free-sample stands you find at Costco, Paul sets up his table and engages wine tasters to sample a couple of his wines. He does this mostly to educate the many visitors, but we suspect that he too is learning, about the likes and dislikes of the wine-drinking public. Despite working fulltime as a winemaker since 1983, Paul still learns and evolves his practice.

Barbara Sherman, Paul’s spouse, runs the tasting room as well as taking care of the myriad paperwork chores behind the scenes. To handle weekend and event crowds, the couple provides two different tasting areas featuring different wines; it’s like a progressive dinner party, except that all the courses are drinkable. Depending on availability, Barbara and her team might be pouring their dry “Rosé Paradisos,” their mildly sweet riesling, their ever popular “Under 10 Buck Red,” a Paradisos red blend, cabernet sauvignon, or a couple of dessert wines, such as a late-harvest botrytis riesling (“The Noble Rot”), and the wonderfully named “Angelica G.”

Paul and Barbara are huge believers in wine as a complement to good food and friends. To this end, we thank them for sharing the following recipe from El Ranchito Restaurant in Zillah:

Ceviche de Camaron (Shrimp Cocktail)

Recipe (Serves 4)

1 lb. large shrimp (quartered)
1/2 red onion (sliced)
Fresh lime juice (8 limes)
1 or 2 jalapeño chile peppers (chopped)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper, to taste

Mix and let sit overnight.

Now, uncork a bottle of Paradisos del Sol riesling and you’re good to go.

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  Paradisos del Sol was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Rattlesnake Hills WineTrail North on page 300!