Öde to Rüdi

Human Cellars is the project of Brent Haeseker, working out of McMinnville in the heart of the Willamette Valley with a mandate to make honest, site-expressive wines from varieties that most Oregon winemakers wouldn’t touch. Öde to Rüdi is his love letter to Grüner Veltliner — a variety famously associated with Austria but increasingly at home in Oregon’s cooler climates. Extended skin contact through fermentation gives the 2023 a rich amber hue and a textural weight that sets it apart from conventional whites: honeyed beeswax, white pepper, preserved lemon, and citrus zest stack up on a full, slightly grippy palate before resolving into a clean, mineral finish. It’s a wine that rewards curiosity and pairs beautifully with the kind of food that has a lot going on.