Oregon's Next Big Thing?

At least according to one person, it could very well be Riesling.

"Riesling is definitely underappreciated, or at least misunderstood, by the consumer," says chef Greg Higgins of Higgins restaurant in Portland, "which is too bad because we've got the perfect climate to grow it and all the right culinary ingredients to match well with it."

Old Man Higgins is pretty much right on here. I have opined in the past that the future of Oregon winemaking - hell, American winemaking, for that matter - lies in the correct matching of grape varieties to climate and geology. Of course, there are certain places that this has/is happening, but unfortunately, the vast majority of grapes are planted with solely fiscal purposes in mind. Obviously, the financial return on one's investment is a necessary concern, but more often than not, I feel growers/wineries are trying to anticipate or respond to some sort of trend, be it created by Hollywood or otherwise. Clearly, the trouble with this mentality is not only the fact that the average American has no attention span but also that it takes a number of years for the vine to start producing fruit of any consequence.

This article even makes mention of this having happened in Oregon's past:

"Although riesling played a seminal role in putting the Northwest on the world's wine map (it was riesling after all, not pinot noir, that was the first wine grape to be planted in Oregon), local rieslings have become an afterthought in today's market.

In 2005, for instance, riesling was less than 5 percent of the state's total wine production. For years, vineyard owners ripped riesling vines out of the ground in favor of other grapes."

I can only imagine the calibur of fruit that those (would-be-now-quite-old) vines could have produced. Unfortunately, it will be some time before we know.

My $0.02 on the whole deal:

Start trucking in an ass-load of granite, slate, and schist. This, in conjunction with cooler climates, is what makes real Riesling. In lieu of that, consider a system similar to that of Germany, where the must weight is considered in classifying the wines to be made. While is may be confusing to some percentage of the buying public, it really is the best way to qualify the wines.

Seriously, it makes sense.

And good luck.