RIESLING FOR THE ROAD
My journey to produce Riesling in the great northwest of Oregon has been a wild and rewarding adventure. Amongst many bottles of wine consumed, Continents were crossed, languages learned, love and war- asses and knuckles busted- and many friendships made. I am especially thankful for my unconditionally loving and supportive family.
My first memories of wine are from the dinner parties my parents threw - sometimes I was lucky enough to taste a little - usually red Bordeaux. But even more credit has to be given to a Chardonnay-drinking girlfriend of mine in my early 20’s. For the most part, I had been a beer guy. But I too would buy and drink Chardonnay because she liked it and she was a lot of fun after a couple of glasses.
Early in my career I worked for a large wine and liquor store which gave me the opportunity to learn about and taste wine from all over the world. The California wines were the easier to read and comprehend, but I eventually got to the point where the European wines were more interesting to me, both stylistically and academically. The German Riesling section was a jungle of indecipherable labels mostly produced by large bottling-firms and co-ops, but nothing much of quality. I did not give the section much thought until I had the chance to taste a bottle of 1998 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese. Well, this sure as hell was not Chardonnay. There were vivid flavors of fruit, mineral, acidity and like tasting a guitar-solo of apples and steel. ALIVE! I had to get to the bottom of it.
I started reading an old Alexis Lichine Encyclopedia of Wine and was fascinated and confused by the complexity of the wine-labelling law in Germany. It takes a certain sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder to undertake study of that sort at age 21. I quickly took it upon myself to invigorate the German wine section of the store. Riesling deserved it. It was during this time that I met Rudi Wiest, one of the top German Wine importers in the US. He introduced me to older German Rieslings, how beautifully they aged and changed the way I thought about white wine. Gradually my brain absorbed more information, my body more wine and I became the Wine buyer at several wine shops around the Twin Cities. I dove into wine regions known and obscure, but never lost my passion for Germany and its wines.
Further into my career I joined the sales team with the best wine importer/distributor in Minnesota. The company culture was one that focused on education through tasting, travel and eating well. We started to represent the Terry Theise portfolio of excellent German wines and Terry became an invaluable source of information and insight for me. Terrys mentorship and guidance helped shape the winemaker I am today.
In May 2010 we moved first to Hessen and spent the summer further exploring different regions of the country. Because of the scenery, warmer climate, and the myriad of different wines that are grown we decided on Pfalz (just north of Alsace, France). I enrolled at the Wine and Agricultural school in Neustadt an der Weinstraße and started working for a winery in the Südpfalz. I arrived in Germany with a very basic knowledge of classroom German (from taking a couple of years of night-classes here in the US) but after a few months had expanded my vocabulary to include much of the local dialect (which is difficult even for other Germans to understand) and the scientific vocabulary required to take Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Technical, and Enology classes instructed in German, not to mention cuss-words, insults and all sorts of sexual innuendo.
I was extremely impressed with the German apprenticeship system. It is certainly the best, most thorough in the World and the teachers are second to none. Nearly two-thirds of all German winemakers go through the program at one of several colleges around the country. Students are required to take and pass classes relating to all aspects of winemaking, cellar-techniques, equipment operation, farming, and running a business. They are required to work at wineries during this time (normally three wineries in three years to learn different techniques from different philosophies) and to pass written and practical tests conducted by the Chamber of Agriculture. I am quite fortunate to be one of two American Graduates of this school over the past 115 years. It is quite remarkable to realize that every German resident (even an American) has the opportunity to attend such schools (in most any trade) and not only receive an education, but also get paid to earn a living.
The face of German wine has been changing for the past few decades. There is more focus on organic and Biodynamic vineyard practices, which I was immersed in while apprenticing at Weingut Odinstal, one of the top Biodynamic wineries in Europe. It was there under Andreas Schumann that I learned how to execute the philosophies that I have admired for years –namely less intervention in the cellar, and more care and hard-work in the vineyard. This is the crux of the teachings of Hans-Günter Schwarz, perhaps Germany’s greatest winemaker, who has apprenticed many of the top winemakers in Germany including Andreas. I am fortunate to have gotten to know him during my time at Odinstal and proud to be part of his winemaking-tree.
After my graduation, armed to the teeth with knowledge and confidence we made the difficult decision to move again. I felt that in Germany I would be just another German-trained winemaker (of several thousand with more coming every year) so we started a nationwide search in the United States for a suitable climate and geology for the growing of the wines that I had worked with in the Pfalz (especially Riesling, but also Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Silvaner etc.) Oregon was the only place that met all my criteria and the one with the most potential for Riesling. When I was in sales, I had visited the Willamette Valley and already knew I loved the region, the comradery within the Oregon wine industry and was in good company with the plethora of talented producers.
When we arrived in Oregon, I worked 2013 harvest at Brooks and started working with NW Vineyard services- farming other wineries vineyards. By early 2014 I was ready to start Paetra- we took the leap to produce Riesling in an area dominated by Pinot Noir and it has been the most rewarding journey so far. Thank you for your support of our family business and allowing us to do what we love. Giddyap winos!
Cheers-
The Hoopers