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Tina and Brett
Even among serious wine drinkers, Riesling is underappreciated thanks in part to the mass-produced, sweet sugar bombs that flooded the US market in decades past. And while those saccharine bottlings still make their way to wine shelves around the country, thankfully skilled producers like Weinbau Paetra’s William (Bill) Hooper are offering a more sophisticated approach and one that mirrors the dry, acid-driven profile of the German wines he is trying to reproduce stateside.
Winemaker Bill Hooper has one of the most honest takes on how he got into wine. For Bill, it was California Chardonnay that was his “gateway” wine, but it wasn’t because he was particularly interested in wine, or Chardonnay, or California, for that matter; he was more of a beer drinker at the time.
According to Bill, “…credit has to be given to a Chardonnay-drinking girlfriend of mine in my early 20s. 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…”
Bill’s interest in wine snowballed after that. He started working in a local liquor/wine shop in his native Minnesota and began exploring different wine regions, but there was one style of wine he couldn’t get enough of: German Riesling.
Picture this: you’re so enamored by a bottle of aged German Riesling that you move to Germany with just two years of high school German under your belt, just so you can learn more about the grape. It sounds a little crazy, but that’s exactly what winemaker William (Bill) Hooper did after he was given a taste of a bottle of 1998 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese.
Bill applied to and was accepted into the Wine and Agriculture School in Neustadt, Germany. The program at the Wine and Agriculture School is rigorous, and even more so when your first language is English, not German.
Not only do students learn about the industry inside and out (farming, cellar management, and how to operate equipment), but they also rotate between three different wineries over a three-year period. This approach allows students like Bill to experience multiple winemaking philosophies and various approaches and techniques.
To this day, Bill is one of only two American students to pass the course.
In 2013, after graduating from the program, Bill landed in a place he thought held the most potential for Riesling: Oregon. After working a single harvest, he knew he had found just the right spot to launch his own brand, which he did in 2014.
Increased pockets of Riesling plantings are popping up along the West Coast from Washington down to California’s Central Coast. And while Washington may have the most acres planted to this German grape, it’s Oregon’s Willamette Valley that winemakers say is the most suited to cultivating this acidic white grape.
A few factors swing things in Oregon’s favor: an extended growing season with a strong cooling influence from the Pacific Ocean, an abundance of established old vines, and sustainable farming practices like dry-farming that force the vines to struggle and root deep into the soil.
Weinbua Paetra is considered a micro-producer, so getting your hands on Bill’s bottles of Riesling (or Pinot Noir), can be a little tricky. Currently, the winery only produces about 1,600 cases per vintage, and those are distributed to select restaurants and retail shops in places like Oregon and California.
You can also purchase Paetra wines through the website, but, as we mentioned above, the current vintage (2022) is sold out. Your best bet to acquire these wines is to sign up for the mailing list.
USA
Yamhill-Carlton AVA of Oregon's Willamette Valley
Riesling
10
William Hooper
49–55°F / 9–12°C
Burgundy
Not Necessary
Now to 2025
Paetra Wine Company
In the glass, the 2021 Paetra “Lobenstein Vineyard” Yamhill-Carlton Riesling is a clear lemon. The nose is fresh and alive with ripples of earthy elements like grass and wet gravel, but also bright pineapple, lime, peach, and honey.
True to his goal of crafting a dry Riesling in the style of German Riesling, this bottling by Bill Hooper has notes of crisp grapefruit and tangy lime that burst from the palate. A subtle minerality cuts through the citrus to add depth and unfolds alongside hints of green apple, nectarine, peach, and that ever-present grassy quality.
Winemaker Bill Hooper’s Paetra Wines is an under-the-radar producer that appears to be gaining a cult following online. Last we checked, his wines were sold out. After sampling his “Lobenstein Vineyard” Riesling, we understand why wine lovers are eager to get their hands on his wines. This Riesling was refreshing and had lots of character.
