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August 28, 2013
Riesling: Oregon’s best kept secret
If you play word association
with a wine enthusiast and throw
out the word “Oregon,” chances are
pretty high that the response will be
“Pinot Noir.”
For good reason. In the 1960s, a
handful of young vintners moved
to the state, all passionate about
wine and eager to be a part of
something new. Within a decade,
those who believed Oregon’s cli-
mate would be too cold and wet for
grapes were proven wrong when a
Pinot Noir from one of those trail-
blazers, David Lett, took home
gold at the 1979 Wine Olympics in
Paris.
Over the next 30 years, hun-
dreds of winemakers set up shop in
Oregon, eager to produce world-
class Pinot Noir. Today, the state’s
wine industry markets itself with
posters and other promotional
items that say “Drink Pinot, Think
Oregon.”
But while Lett and other pio-
neers were focusing on Pinot Noir,
a number of other vintners were
giving it a go with Riesling. In-
deed, about a quarter of Oregon’s
vineyards were planted to Riesling
in 1980. As Pinot Noir acreage ex-
ploded, however, Riesling became
overshadowed.
Today, though, Oregon Riesling
is experiencing a resurgence. And
it’s better than ever.
Many consumers recoil at the
sight of Riesling, as it’s still asso-
ciated with the sweet, simple Ger-
man wines of yesteryear, like Blue
Nun. Wines like these are still pro-
duced and they’ll always have fans.
But they do a disservice to true
Riesling. It’s not by accident that
Riesling has long been known as
the “noblest of the noble grapes.”
For one thing, Riesling is honest.
Because most Riesling is fer-
mented in stainless steel, it isn’t
manipulated through oak aging or
other winemaking techniques. So
it’s
remarkably
transparent and ex-
cels in capturing
terroir, or a wine’s
sense of place. As
Robert Parker, the
world’s most fa-
mous wine critic,
once explained, “If
you want to talk
about terroir, talk
about
German
Rieslings or Alsace
Rieslings, where
the wines are naked — there’s no
makeup.”
Riesling is also quite versatile.
Some of the world’s best Rieslings
are syrupy and lusciously sweet,
while others are bone dry. Most fall
somewhere in between, and all are
extremely fragrant. And thanks to
its high acidity, Riesling is an ex-
tremely adaptable food wine.
Misconceptions still abound, but
fortunately, con-
sumers are starting
to recognize that
Riesling is a seri-
ous grape.
I recently tasted
through a dozen
Oregon Rieslings
and was impressed
with all of them.
One
bottle
worth finding is
C h e h a l e m ’ s
“Three Vineyard
Riesling.” Marked by exotic citrus
fruits, green apples, and chalk-like
minerality, the wine is exception-
ally vibrant. Other wines worth
looking for include Amity Vine-
yards’ Wedding Dance Riesling,
Penner-Ash’s Willamette Valley
Riesling, and Elk Cove’s Estate
Riesling. All are refreshing and de-
licious, offering delicate notes of
citrus fruits and apples. These four
wines do have quite a bit of resid-
ual sugar, but they almost taste dry
because they’re balanced by brac-
ing acidity.
Plus, they’re affordable. While
these producers are known for their
Pinot Noir — many of which cost
upwards of $50 per bottle — these
Rieslings can be found for right
around $20.
Riesling might be Oregon’s best
kept secret. So make sure you try
some before the word gets out.
David White is the founder and
editor of Terroirist.com, which was
named “Best Overall Wine Blog”
at the 2013 Wine Blog Awards. His
columns are housed at Palate
Press: The Online Wine Magazine.
By David White
White’s Wines
Horseback, Carriage,
Proposals, Weddings & Events
Carlton, OR 503-864-2336
440366.082813
