It Takes Two to Tango

I met Diego Valeri, a local soccer legend turned winemaker, at a local wine shop where he was sharing his Oregon wines inspired by his native Argentina. It seems that our editor at Oregon Wine Press had been thinking about an article linking the two regions, and the following is the result appearing in the October 2025 issue.

They lie thousands of miles apart in separate hemispheres. At first glance, the wine regions of the Pacific Northwest and Argentina seem more different than alike.

Viewed through the eyes of winemakers connected to both regions, however, surprising links emerge. Despite being half a world apart, these two distinct wine cultures share similar vineyard challenges and wine styles. They are also linked by personalities and friendships that shape each place.

PEOPLE MAKE WINE

A challenge of learning to make wine anywhere is that you only get one chance each year. So, it's common for winemakers, especially early in their careers, to split the year between the northern hemisphere (with harvest in October and November) and the southern hemisphere (where harvest happens in March and April), thus doubling their learning opportunities. South America, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are popular destinations.

Ashley Trout spent eight harvests in Argentina in her 20s. "I was born and raised speaking Spanish (even though I don't look like it), and so it was easy for me to go down there and just sort of plug into what's an absolutely phenomenal winemaking community," she recalls. She is the owner and winemaker of Brook and Bull Cellars in Walla Walla and its sister project, Vital Winery, a nonprofit helping vineyard workers access health care.

Along with the challenges of making wine at high altitude in Argentina and the opportunities to observe large winemaking operations, South American culture taught Trout essential life lessons. She recalls accompanying her employer on a vineyard visit to taste fruit before harvest. At one site, she was sent to discuss potential picking dates with the vineyard manager ahead of a storm. When she quickly returned to the truck where her boss was waiting, she was scolded, "You spoke with that guy for 30 seconds, and then you ran away from him, and now you're back in this truck." Confused, she realized that in Argentina, exchanging information was just the beginning. Her boss explained, "You ask him about his dog, you get to be friends with him. You figure out his birthday, compliment him on his trellising. You take it easy. Take a moment, because when push comes to shove, he needs to know which winemakers and crews he likes better and which ones he doesn't, because that weather is going to hit us all at the same time!"

GRAPE IDENTITY

Strikingly, both regions are identified with a signature red grape. If you mention Oregon to wine lovers the world over, they think of Pinot Noir. For Argentina, it's Malbec, the dark-hued native of France's Bordeaux region that flourishes there. Grown in 17 of the country's 23 provinces, it accounts for nearly two-thirds of Argentina's domestic varietal wine sales and almost half of the nation's exported wine, according to Cámara Argentina Vinos a Granel, an industry organization.

But a red-wine-only identity is not a complete picture of either region. Torrontés is Argentina's highly regarded aromatic white variety, with the added prestige of originating there. Chardonnay is also commonly found and is notably also on the rise here in Oregon.

Argentina produces 75% of the world's Malbec, according to Forbes magazine. But this medium- to full-bodied red has found a home here in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the Rogue and Umpqua valleys of Southern Oregon, the Columbia Gorge, the Walla Walla Valley, as well as in Washington AVAs like Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain. Expressions range from red and rosé to white and even sparkling versions.

Twenty wineries from the region gathered in Portland last spring for a walk-around tasting called Malbec in the City. The annual event is the brainchild of winemaker Juan Pablo Valot of Valcan Wines and reflects his passion for the grape of his homeland.

"You don't have to do anything. This is like the perfect child," he said about working with Malbec grown in our cooler climate, where it retains acidity. He notes that recovering that quality has led growers in his native Argentina to move from Mendoza's increasingly hot valley sites to high desert locations at 3,500 feet or higher elevation.

Valot considers Malbec a valuable red wine for the region to embrace alongside Pinot Noir because of its potential to appeal to varied palates. "You've got the Pinot Noir fans, and the Cabernet Sauvignon fans, and they don't cross lines," he noted. "The only varietal that goes in the middle and can reach out to these two big groups is Malbec," he added, mentioning its Pinot-like dry acidity and delicate aromas combined with its power and concentration. "I'm not saying that it will turn Pinot Noir lovers into Malbec lovers or Cabernet Sauvignon lovers into Malbec lovers, but if you go to a party or to a dinner... and you don't know what people like, if you come out with a good Malbec, you're gonna be the winner."

ConurWines’ Federico Garobbio tosses a ball, joined by partners Diego Valeri, his wife, Florencia and Garobbio’s wife, Lucila Ricci.

KICKOFF IN A NEW FIELD

Portland Timbers legend Diego Valeri has recently turned to wine as a post-soccer venture. Growing up near Buenos Aires, he developed an early love for fútbol, which led to an international career that peaked in Portland. After retiring, he and his wife, Florencia, briefly moved to Florida, where they met restaurateur Frederico Garobbio and his wife, Lucina Ricci. Perhaps "reunited" is a better word, as all four grew up in the same suburb of Argentina's capital city. Garobbio recalls, "The funny part is that even though we used to live pretty close to each other, and we have a lot of people in common, we met here in the United States."

As the friendship between the two couples grew stronger, the idea of collaborating to start an Oregon wine company took shape, and they established Conurwines, a name inspired by the Spanish word for 'suburban,' conurbano. Partnering with NW Wine Company, their initial offerings are a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and two wines that honor their heritage: a white blend, reminiscent of Torrontés, and a Malbec made from Columbia Valley fruit. Garobbio looks forward to releasing a red blend and a traditional method sparkling wine soon.

"Doing this, for me, is a dream," he said, "not only because of what we are doing, but with whom we are doing this. We love Diego and Florencia. We are really good friends, and we are enjoying every single second of this project."

Overseeing properties in the Willamette Valley, Napa and Mendoza, Argentina, director of viticulture, Drew Herman, holds a sheep in a snowy vineyard.

IT'S HOT ALL OVER

Wine growers worldwide are dealing with the impacts of climate change. Rising vineyard temperatures and water consumption remain ongoing concerns shared by Pacific Northwest farmers and their South American counterparts.

Alexana Winery was founded in the Dundee Hills 20 years ago by cardiologist Dr. Madaiah Revana, following the establishment of his Revana Estate in Napa Valley in 1997. A third project soon emerged in Argentina's Uco Valley, Bodega Corazón del Sol ("Heart of the Sun"). General Manager Jeff Lewis oversees all three operations, and Drew Herman manages vineyard practices as Director of Viticulture.

The colleagues are clear-eyed in recognizing the significant differences between the properties. "Geographically, geologically, climatically, they are incredibly different and pose very different challenges," observes Lewis. "And that manifests not just in the vineyard, but in winemaking as well. What you're working with, the tools you have, and really, the intent behind each of the properties."

They have embraced these differences as an opportunity to share expertise across the miles. "We're pulling things that we've learned in all properties and applying them where it makes sense," said Herman. Organic farming, soil and land management, animal husbandry and water conservation have all become part of conversations throughout the company.

For example, "down there [in Argentina], they pull the leaves and expose the clusters super, super early, so that the clusters can get used to the sun and not burn," Herman said. They have now adopted a similar approach for some blocks of their Oregon Chardonnay. Going the other way, he notes, "since we dry farm in Oregon, we actually know a ton about increasing water holding capacity. So we've been applying that at our vineyards down there, whether it's cover crops or applying compost."

Predictably, Malbec leads Corazón del Sol's production. However, the Uco Valley's rocky soils and warm climate have encouraged them to experiment with varieties associated with France's Rhône Valley: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, resulting in Argentina's first GSM blend. "It's Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the mountains," Lewis quips.

Changing climate conditions inspire creativity in replanting efforts at their vineyards, leading them to adopt an unexpected variety at all three sites: Cabernet Franc. In Argentina, their plan is for this variety to make up a third of Corazón del Sol's production. Acres of their vineyards in both Napa and the Dundee Hills have also been grafted over.

"We've made a big bet on Cab Franc at all of our properties," Herman affirms. In Oregon, "we have stuff that would have been ideal Pinot sites, you know, 15 years ago that now wants to ripen something else" due to rising vineyard temperatures. In Napa, the variety thrives in the vineyard's coolest sites.

"We're gonna have very different expressions of Cab Franc," according to Lewis. "You'll have something from 3,800 feet in elevation (in Argentina) that's tannic and powerful, and bright red fruit. You'll have something from the Dundee Hills that'll probably be silky, perfumed, lower alcohol, quite pretty and nuanced. And then from Napa, you'll probably have something pretty intense and dark and powerful."

WINE WITHOUT BORDERS

Though separated by continents and climates, the Pacific Northwest and Argentina reveal that wine is never just about place, but about people. From young winemakers chasing dual harvests to veterans adapting vineyards to shifting climates, and from signature grapes like Pinot Noir and Malbec to new experiments with Rhône varieties and Cabernet Franc, both regions reflect resilience, creativity and connection.

What begins as a comparison between distant landscapes ends as a reminder that wine culture thrives on exchange — of knowledge, of traditions, of friendships. Such sharing transcends borders.