When I invited winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry to be the featured guest on last Friday’s Whitley on Wine radio show, I figured we would pass the time chatting about Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
A radio interview is a funny thing, though. It goes where it goes and I am not one to put the brakes on a good conversation. Harry is founder and part-owner of Oregon’s Chehalem winery and a pursuasive advocate for Oregon viticultue.
So when he told me he firmly believed Riesling would soon be recognized as Oregon’s most important white grape variety, it got my attention. He produces a fine dry Riesling at Chehalem, leading by example as it were.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering neighboring Washington has been turning out the finest Rieslings on the West Coast for a number of years. The cool Oregon climate would seem to be ideal for this grape.
Harry also explained the recent improvement in Oregon Chardonnay, indicating the dull Chards of the past were more a function of poor clonal selection than lackluster effort by Oregon vintners.
Planting the Dijon clone of Chardonnay has made a huge difference in structure and quality, says Harry, and consequently Oregon Chards are light years better than they were.
We never did get around to talking about Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Another time, perhaps. I will give everyone a heads-up when the archive of the show featuring Peterson-Nedry is posted at SignOn Radio. If you’re a fan of Oregon wines, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
8