{"title":"Holden Wine Company","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost Willamette Valley labels chase Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Holden Wine Company looks south instead, toward the vermentino, malvasia and other northern Italian varieties that founder Sterling Whitted fell for during his time in Italy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSterling Whitted studied Italian and business before traveling to Italy, where a fascination with wine took hold. Back in Oregon, he earned an advanced enology degree at Oregon State University while working harvests at respected producers including Owen Roe, Cameron and Teutonic Wine Company. He launched Holden Wine Company in the mid-2010s, working out of shared cellar space at Medici in Newberg and building production from a few hundred cases at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/holden-wine-company\"\u003eHolden Wine Company producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"skin-contact-sauvignon-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine","title":"Holden Wine Company Skin Contact Sauvignon 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eHolden Wine Company is Sterling Whitted's Portland-based label, founded in 2011. Whitted modeled this wine on the skin-fermented Sauvignon Blancs of Friuli, where extended maceration transforms the grape's bright citrus character into something altogether more textural and savory. Grapes are sourced from the Columbia Gorge AVA in Oregon, a transitional climate corridor straddling the Columbia River along the Oregon-Washington border, with vineyard elevations ranging from near sea level to 2,000 feet and soils of volcanic origin, lahar, loess, and silt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine sees extended skin contact, which pulls tannin and phenolic structure from the grape skins and shifts the color from pale straw into amber-gold territory. Fermentation is with native yeast, and SO2 additions are kept to a minimum, consistent with Whitted's low-intervention approach across the entire Holden lineup.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe resulting wine sits at 13.5% ABV and carries the weight and grip of a light red alongside the acidity characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc. Stone fruit, dried tea, and a faint saline edge are typical of this style. The 2016 vintage was widely considered a classic growing season for Oregon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holden Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13497243762743,"sku":"HOLDSAUV16C","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/skin-contact-sauvignon-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780661501"},{"product_id":"interplanetary-nebbiolo-barbera-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine","title":"Holden Wine Company Interplanetary 2017","description":"\u003cp\u003eInterplanetary is a red blend from Holden Wine Company, made by winemaker Sterling Whitted in Oregon. The 2017 is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera, two northern Italian varieties that Whitted has made central to his project since founding the label in 2011. The wine carries the Columbia River Gorge appellation, an AVA that straddles the Oregon-Washington border roughly 60 miles east of Portland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNebbiolo contributes the wine's backbone: firm tannins, high natural acidity, and aromatics of dried cherry, rose petal, and tar. Barbera adds volume and dark fruit weight while softening the overall tannin profile. At 13% ABV the wine sits on the leaner end of the spectrum, which keeps it food-friendly and age-worthy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhitted's approach is low-intervention: minimal inputs, no added chemicals, and winemaking that prioritizes fruit character and site expression over technical polish. He worked harvests at Owen Roe, Cameron, and Teutonic Wine Company before launching Holden, and that background in both Willamette-style farming and unconventional varieties is evident in how he handles Italian grapes in an Oregon context.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Columbia Gorge AVA supports Italian varieties well. Silty loam soils over volcanic basalt bedrock, persistent winds off the river, and a wide diurnal temperature range allow Nebbiolo and Barbera to retain natural acidity while reaching adequate ripeness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holden Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13497332301879,"sku":"HOLDINTE17C","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/interplanetary-nebbiolo-barbera-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780661564"},{"product_id":"vermentino-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine","title":"Holden Wine Company Vermentino 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eHolden Wine Company is a Portland-area project founded by Sterling Whitted, a former Whole Foods wine buyer who studied enology at Oregon State University and worked harvests at Owen Roe, Cameron, and Teutonic Wine Company. The winery focuses on Italian grape varieties grown in Oregon, working with minimal inputs and no added chemicals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 2016 Vermentino is made from 100% Vermentino grapes sourced from the Columbia River Gorge AVA. The Gorge is the only sea-level passage through the Cascade Range, and its persistent winds — averaging 10 to 20 mph — act as a natural cooling and drying force on the vineyards. Soils in the AVA are primarily silty loams formed from Missoula Flood deposits, volcanic activity, and landslides, with vineyard elevations ranging from 95 to nearly 1,800 feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVermentino is a thin-skinned, late-ripening white grape with naturally high acidity and a characteristic phenolic bitterness on the finish often described as green almond. In the glass it is dry and light-to-medium bodied, with citrus fruit, white peach, and a mineral, slightly saline quality on the palate. At 13.2% ABV, this bottling sits on the riper end for the variety, suggesting good hang time in the Gorge's warm days and cool nights.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Columbia Gorge AVA was established in 2004 and spans both sides of the Columbia River across Oregon and Washington. Its transitional climate supports an unusually wide range of grape varieties, from cool-climate aromatics on the wetter western end to bold reds near the drier eastern boundary around Lyle, Washington.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holden Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13497405505591,"sku":"HOLDVERM16C","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/vermentino-holden-wine-company-oregon-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780661635"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/holden-wine-company.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}