Winemaker: Cristina Gonzales

Location: 614 SW Dakota St, Portland, OR 97239

Instagram: @gonzaleswinecompany

Website: www.gonzaleswinecompany.com

While backpacking in Argentina, Cristina Gonzales stopped in Mendoza for dinner. The grilled steak was delicious, but it was the glass of Malbec that grabbed her attention.

That glass of Malbec stayed with Cristina, even after she returned home. Soon it called her away to work harvests around the globe, from Australia to California. She worked at the side of winemakers creating all manner of styles of wines, but she also bonded with the vineyard stewards who were raising and processing the grapes. Their expertise inspired her, and the shared language bonded them.

In 2010, almost ten years after that first fateful glass of Malbec, Gonzales Wine Company was born. Cristina began making wines that she herself loves to drink—aromatic whites, like Riesling and Gewürtztraminer, and bold reds, like Syrah and Petit Verdot. Her signature wine, made vintage after vintage, is of course Malbec.

Cristina Gonzales is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers who moved to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. She gained experience as a winemaker by jumping in headfirst and learning as she went—even when atop a forklift.

Cristina lives in Portland with her son Julian and their blue heeler, Bean.

In addition to being a winemaker, Cristina also serves on the Board of Directors of AHIVOY , the Oregon Wine Board, and is the co-founder of Community Wine Bar.