We love the European wine-maker. More of a peasant than a businessman, he works among the vines because that is what his family has always done. It’s a stereotype, for sure, but there are definitely... Read More

We love the European wine-maker. More of a peasant than a businessman, he works among the vines because that is what his family has always done. It’s a stereotype, for sure, but there are definitely a lot of French and Italian wine-makers out there who fit the description.

Then there is the stereotype of the American wine-maker – different, but equally attractive. This wine-maker is a pioneer, an inventor. She experiments. She has an open mind. She may not be born making great wine, but she gets there eventually.

Again, there are certainly many American wine-makers who fit this description. Jackson Holstein is one of them.

His parents were literal pioneers, driving west from Kentucky to Oregon in a pickup truck. They bought ten hectares, and named it Holstein Vineyard. Jackson grew up among those vines. He learned a little vineyard management from his Dad, but he also went to school and he studied. He also traveled the world, worked at various wineries, and side hustled by producing a bit of wine in a garage – it turns out that tech companies are not the only start-ups that happen in American garages.

In 2014, he settled down with his partner Ayla to create a proper winery. There they make very pretty and quietly intense Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from organic and biodynamic sources in the Dundee hills – including the family Holstein Vineyard.