The Riesling Revival: Paul Hobbs and Erni Loosen Lead a New Era in American Winemaking

From the Finger Lakes to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, two global icons explore why U.S. Riesling is just getting started.

Appasionata Vineyard and the Chehalem Mountains.

Two of the world’s most influential winemakers—Paul Hobbs and Erni Loosen—are helping redefine American Riesling.

The duo came together for a virtual roundtable this week to discuss the rebirth of this storied varietal in the U.S., spotlighting two unlikely but promising regions: New York’s Finger Lakes and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

These two legends took a deep dive into the terroir, technique and the tenacity behind this new chapter for Riesling. From vineyard sites on opposite sides of the country, they shared a bold vision for how the grape can thrive in American soil.

It took Hobbs two years to find the right location. He nearly gave up—until he discovered a site at the tip of the Finger Lakes in New York. A “sheer drop” toward Seneca Lake provided the slope and airflow needed to support a vineyard capable of producing world-class Riesling.

The soil, a mix of shale and slate formed under immense pressure during the Ice Age, offered the minerality he sought.

That same glacial pressure shaped the cold, deep Finger Lakes.

“It’s an area we thought could go toe-to-toe with Europe—specifically Germany, Austria and Alsace,” Hobbs said. “Regions recognized as the best in the world for Riesling.”

It was a painstaking process. The vineyard team had to puncture and shatter rock, trim the roots, plant the vines, and cover them with soil. The site reminded Hobbs of the Mosel in Germany—a region he called “one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”

Hillick & Hobbs slopes towards Seneca Lake.

The 2021 Hillick & Hobbs Dry Riesling ($35) bursts with flavors of grapefruit, lime zest, pear and wet-rock minerality, layered with the essence of blooming white flowers. Only in its third commercial vintage, from a site planted to four German clones on French-American rootstocks, it’s already showing signs of greatness.