Historic Port House of Dow Announces Partnership with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company and Sweet Grass Dairy; Trio Launches Dow's Cheese Course for America's Restaurants.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Dow's Port, producer of top wines for over two centuries, announces a partnership with two award-winning cheese makers, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company of Point Reyes, California and Sweet Grass Dairy of Thomasville, Georgia. The trio is linked by its shared values of being family owned and operated, producing estate wines and farmstead cheeses, and having a steadfast focus on top quality. Together they offer the Dow's Cheese Course, a sales and education program aimed at restaurants to promote the pairing and consumption of fine Ports with artisan American cheeses.

Rupert Symington, Joint Managing Director for the Oporto, Portugal based Symington Family Estates which owns Dow's, comments, "We are thrilled with this collaboration. Sales of both Port and cheese have increased dramatically in the United States over the last decade, and much of this growth is driven by restaurants. However, there is still confusion regarding pairing and serving the two, and that's where the Dow's Cheese Course comes in. In simplifying the process for restaurants, we allow them to offer a unique culinary experience for their customers."

Dow's suggests Point Reyes "Original Blue," aged six months, with its Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage Ports. The Sweet Grass "Green Hill," a rich double cream cheese with a white bloomy rind that softens as it ages, is paired with the Dow's Aged Tawny Ports, which are offered in 10, 20, 30 and 40 year bottlings.

Program supporter Shaun Doty of Table 1280 High Museum in Atlanta comments, "As a chef I am always inspired to source and bring together the finest products for my guests. I love pairing a classic Dow's Vintage Port with 'Point Reyes Blue' cheese -- the sweetness of the Port contrasts well with this cheese's savory flavors. It's a truly sophisticated pairing and a match made in heaven."

Nick Peyton of Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, CA remarks, "The excellence of the Sweet Grass Dairy and its 'Green Hill' cheese has earned a constant presence on our cheese cart. This cheese pairs beautifully with Dow's Aged Tawny Ports."

According to cheese expert and consultant Raymond Hook, "This partnership comes at a time when artisan American cheese is experiencing exponential growth and acceptance. The best American producers can match quality from anywhere else in the world, and their cheeses are in the nation's top restaurants and best shops. And Dow's Ports have a drier house style, which makes them a perfect accompaniment for cheese."

The involved companies are combining their restaurant sales and wait-staff education efforts with a national media campaign, industry trade shows and consumer events to educate trade and consumers alike. For more information and market availability, please visit: www.PremiumPort.com, www.PointReyesCheese.com and www.SweetGrassDairy.com.

Dow's has been producing top Ports for over two centuries. One of the first companies to establish its own vineyards, Dow's acquired Senhora da Ribeira, located in the remote Upper Douro, in 1890 and Bomfim, which lies in the heart of the Alto Douro, in 1896. Their respective wines, Ribeira with its soft fruit and violet aromas, and Bomfim with its concentrated intensity, provide the backbone to the recognized drier style of Dow's Ports. In 1912, Andrew James Symington became a partner in Dow's and today, six members of the fourth generation Symington family own and manage this historic house.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, founded in 2000, is the only classic style blue cheese made in California. The Giacomini Family, located in Point Reyes Station, handcrafts small batches of its "Original Blue" and "Monte's Reserve" from the fresh, raw milk of the farm's 300 Holstein cows.

Sweet Grass Dairy, also founded in 2000 and located in Thomasville, Georgia, is an American Cheese Society medal winning farmstead. Its nine cheeses are handmade in small batches at the Little Family Farm from the milk of their 550 Jersey and Normandaise cows from Green Hill Dairy.