Story & FAQs
About
Open Soul was born from a belief that the greatest wines are felt more than they are tasted — that there is an ineffable quality in a great bottle that no technical note can fully capture.
That’s the soul of a wine.
When it comes to terroir, there are few places that contain as much diverse soul-per-acre as Oregon. From the Willamette Valley to the Columbia Gorge, from the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley to the untamed wilderness of the Imnaha Canyon, Oregon surprises and moves. We strive to illuminate that intangible spirit and bring it to your glass.
Open Soul is a micro-boutique winery in every sense. By working in small batches and with single vineyards, we give every wine the intention it deserves. We seek out vineyards whose character aligns with our vision. Whites, rosés, and sparkling wines are at the heart of what drives our wine style. That same lightness of touch inspires how we make our reds, too.
You don’t need a sommelier’s vocabulary to enjoy our wines, you just need an open soul.
Open Soul's founder, Jordan Hostetter, grew up at the end of the road — in Joseph, Oregon, at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains, a place of 10,000-foot peaks and the deepest canyon in North America (Hell’s Canyon). His parents moved there from the East Coast because his dad wanted to pursue his dream of being a cowboy. That pioneering instinct has shaped everything Jordan has done since.
His path to wine was anything but direct. Summer restaurant jobs and a mathematics degree from Wheaton College led to managing a destination lodge at the edge of Joseph Creek Canyon where he helped build the wine list. This was the initial seed that would someday grow into a passion for wine.
In 2006, a chance phone call from a cousin landed him on a White House advance team planning events for the First Lady, and then presidential candidates. Through all of it, the thread he kept following was a heart for hospitality and creating special experiences. The art of collaboration and making people feel something. Of creating an experience so well executed that the effort behind it disappears.
When the West Coast called him back in 2013, a tip from his mom pointed him toward Walla Walla Community College’s Viticulture and Enology program. He drove to Walla Walla from Seattle, toured the school, and decided to apply before he got back in the car. The science spoke to the math-trained side of his brain. The craft spoke to his artistic side which had never quite found a place to land.
The years that followed were an education in every dimension of the wine world within the Walla Walla Valley. His first harvest was at Tamarack Cellars practicing endless punch downs. At Doubleback, Drew Bledsoe’s celebrated winery, he went from harvest intern to Director of Operations and Distribution, learning what it means to build a trusted luxury brand. At Abeja, he developed the kind of high-touch tasting experiences he knew he eventually wanted to create for his own label. As General Manager of XOBC Cellars, Brandi Carlile’s winery, he drove Airstreams to concert venues and learned what happens when music, story, and wine meld in exactly the right way.
In August 2023 he was ready to start a project of his own. Open Soul’s first vintage was made in close collaboration with consulting winemaker Kate Payne Brown as the guide. Kate is a top Oregon winemaker whose help was foundational to the brand’s infancy and whose influence on Open Soul’s style continues to be felt. Jordan has since stepped fully into the winemaking role.
Open Soul’s production home sits in Milton-Freewater, the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, a wine region that crosses state lines and defies easy categorization, much like the wines we strive to make. A future estate vineyard is part of the vision. Opportunity for a very special piece of land is already knocking.
Our Philosophy of Wine
The wines that have moved Jordan most have never been the loudest in the room. A soulful wine doesn’t require bigness and complexity, it requires honesty and elegance. Some of the best wines in the world are white. Some of the most memorable are sparkling. At Open Soul, we apply this philosophy with hand picked and hand-sorted fruit, whole cluster processing, neutral oak, and a deliberate restraint with new oak.
We invite you to pull the cork and open soul.
FAQs answered by Jordan
Why the name Open Soul?
Great wines defy the familiar explanations—latitude, soil, climate, varietal, growing season. Even the winemaker needs to know when to step away to let the magic happen. A truly life-changing wine has an ineffable beauty. That’s the soul of a wine: an intangible spirit rising up to meet your own.
Opening a bottle like this is like opening a bottle of soul itself.
Go ahead…Open Soul.
Why Oregon?
You may have noticed that the tagline for Open Soul is “Artisan wines that illuminate the intangible spirit of Oregon.” Not only was I born and raised in the spectacular state of Oregon (the Northeast corner of Oregon at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains) but my palate has led me back there too. I’m passionate about interesting white wines, sparkling, rosé, fresh light juicy reds. I believe there is no better state than Oregon when it comes to diverse terroirs that support this passion in my wine-style.
Where are your vineyards?
I source grapes from other boutique wineries & vineyards across Oregon. Always with the goal of allowing the terroir of a particular vineyard site shine through. Open Soul is still a very young brand and a future estate vineyard is in the works in Imnaha, Oregon. Thus far, we’ve sourced fruit from Worden Hill Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA, Clos Griotte Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Trovato Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, and Threemile Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA.
Where is your wine made?
First by hard working farmers in each vineyard source. Then in a production facility in Milton-Freewater Oregon (part of the Walla Walla Valley AVA). Our production is currently tiny. Open Soul is not just a boutique winery, we’re micro-boutique. Fermentation occurs in small stainless steel bins and neutral French oak barrels. New French oak is used very sparingly to ensure the wines stay vibrant.
How did you get into wine?
On a leap of faith, I enrolled in the Viticulture & Enology school in Walla Walla WA and graduated in 2016. It was day one of my first harvest internship that I knew that I had found the career that tied together all of my passions. Since then, I’ve been very lucky to work for some incredible wineries and winemakers including Tamarack Cellars, Doubleback, Abeja, and XOBC Cellars. Starting my own wine brand was the next leap of faith. Ongoing education through WSET and Wine Scholar Guild have also been an invaluable part of my journey. I hope to tell you the longer story over a glass of Open Soul in the near future.
Where can I try your wines?
I would love the opportunity to host you for a tasting in the Walla Walla Valley! Check out our “Experience” page for more details.
On that same page, you’ll also see a list of where our wines can be found “out in the wild”: meaning at the wonderful restaurants and shops that carry Open Soul in the Pacific Northwest.
Where are your wines sold?
My wines are primarily sold through Soulmate memberships, my website, and at tastings & pop-up events throughout the Pacific Northwest (and beyond!). Open Soul is licensed to ship orders directly to consumer doorsteps in 40 states including Washington DC. Please see Shipping Policies for the full list of where we can ship.
Open Soul is self-distributed in Oregon and Washington to a handful of restaurants & retail shops. We are beginning to seek distribution in Idaho. Check out our “Experience” page for more details on where to find our wines out in the wild.