2021 Gonzales 'The Revolutionary' Petite Verdot, Columbia Valley, Oregon

The name “The Revolutionary” was chosen with intention. It pays homage to Emiliano Zapata — the iconic Mexican revolutionary who fought for the rights of landless farmers — and it is also the birth wine of Cristina Gonzales’ son, Julian. That layering of meaning is exactly who Cristina is: a Latina winemaker, community builder, and quiet revolutionary in her own right, building something remarkable in Oregon wine country one small-production, minimal-intervention bottle at a time.

Cristina Gonzales is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers who moved to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. She learned winemaking by jumping in headfirst — even when that meant climbing atop a forklift — and built Gonzales Wine Company as a Latina-owned, small-production label focused on big reds and aromatic whites at accessible prices. She serves on the Board of Directors of AHIVOY and the Oregon Wine Board, and is the co-founder of Community Wine Bar in Portland. This 2021 “Revolutionary” Petite Verdot from Columbia Valley proves once again that Petit Verdot stands proudly on its own: a blackberry-stained, purple-black wine of real depth and complexity — dried tobacco, blueberry, eucalyptus, chocolate, canela spice, red plum skin, and a finish of blackberry and seared sweet ancho chile that stays with you long after the glass is empty. A wine named for revolution. Fermented with love. Built for the table.

Wine Details & Tasting Notes

Tasting Notes: Blackberry-stained purple-black in the glass. Heady nose of dried tobacco, blueberry muffin mix, eucalyptus, and chocolate. Medium-full-bodied on the palate with canela-spiced chocolate, red plum skin, and structured tannin. The prolonged finish lingers with blackberry and seared sweet ancho chile — complex, evocative, and deeply memorable.

• Origin – Columbia Valley, Oregon, USA
• Producer – Gonzales Wine Company; Latina-owned and operated; winemaker Cristina Gonzales (granddaughter of migrant farmworkers; self-taught; Board of Directors, AHIVOY & Oregon Wine Board; co-founder, Community Wine Bar PDX); small production; minimal intervention
• Varietal – Petite Verdot (100%)
• Style – Dry red wine (big, structured; minimal intervention; single-varietal Petite Verdot)
• ABV – 12.7%

Food Pairing

The dried tobacco, dark chocolate, canela spice, plum skin, and ancho chile character of this Columbia Valley Petite Verdot make it a natural companion for bold, deeply flavored food with warmth and richness. Pairs beautifully with braised short ribs, slow-roasted lamb, and grilled carne asada. The structured tannins and spice make it a wonderful match for mole negro, beef birria, and hearty red meat preparations. Also excellent alongside aged hard cheeses, dark chocolate, and any charcuterie board that includes cured meats with a smoky or spicy edge. A natural for summer BBQs and cookouts, fall and winter entertaining, and any occasion that calls for a wine as bold, layered, and unapologetically complex as the woman who made it. Serve at 64–68°F; decant 20–30 minutes to open the wine fully.

Occasion

This is your go-to Columbia Valley Petite Verdot — the bottle for Premier Wine Club selections, meaningful gifting, summer BBQs, and sharing with the wine enthusiast who appreciates minimal-intervention, small-production winemaking from one of Oregon’s most compelling and community-driven Latina winemakers. Named for a revolutionary. The birth wine of Julian. A bottle with a story worth telling every time it’s opened.

Wine Producer / Historical Notes

Cristina Gonzales is the granddaughter of migrant farm workers who traveled to Wisconsin to pick cherries in search of a better life. She became a winemaker the way the best ones often do — by jumping in headfirst and learning as she went, even when that meant learning atop a forklift. Gonzales Wine Company is Latina-owned and operated, built on a commitment to small production, minimal intervention, accessible prices, and wines that speak honestly about where they come from and who made them. Cristina lives in Portland with her son Julian and their blue heeler, Bean. In addition to winemaking, she serves on the Board of Directors of AHIVOY and the Oregon Wine Board, and is the co-founder of Community Wine Bar in Portland — a gathering place for the kind of inclusive, community-centered wine culture she’s been building her entire career. The Revolutionary is named for Emiliano Zapata, whose fight for the rights of landless farmers resonates with Cristina’s own family history. It is also the birth wine of her son Julian — a wine that carries two legacies, and honors both.

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