James sits down with Tony Soter of Soter Vineyards in Willamette Valley, Oregon, to discuss the state's evolving winemaking scene. James asks Tony about his views on how Soter Vineyards is doing now and what their future – and the state's – look like.
Tony says the success of Oregon's pinot noir in recent years is due to the maturing "skill sets" of the state's winemakers, and adds that the increased consistency of the product comes from better viticultural, greater winemaking experience and the climatological change toward warmer temperatures.
"It's also about knowing that Oregon is never going to compete on the world stage as anything but a small producer of high-quality wines because we don't get the yields that other sunny climates do… We've learned probably a hard lesson but one that's serving us well consistently now about cropping the vines conservatively so that they have a chance to ripen in our relatively limited season.”