Cristina Gonzales: Oral History Interview

This interview is with Cristina Gonzales of Gonzales Wine Company. In this interview, she discusses how she got into wine originally because she wanted to travel and experience more— it was when she lived in Chilé and Argentina that she became very interested in wine. She then goes on to talk about the various places she’s traveled to, how she ended up in Oregon to originally follow the path of Pinot Noir, and then fell in love with it because of the people and community. Cristina then touches on the various places she worked which led her to starting her own label in 2009, her winemaking philosophy, and marketing strategies. Towards the end of the interview, she touches on what it’s like being a woman in the wine industry, the changes she’s seen to Oregon, her plans for the future, and for the Oregon Wine Industry in general. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in Portland on June 27, 2019.