Cubanisimo Vineyards

A chance encounter with a wadded-up piece of paper found on the streets of New Orleans brought Mauricio Collada to Oregon. It was an ad that sought physicians willing to relocate to Oregon and practice medicine. At the time, Havana-born Mauricio Collada Jr. had completed his medical studies in Florida and needed a place to begin his neurosurgery practice. Mauricio also loved wine, thanks to a friendship he developed with a colleague from a winemaking family in Burgundy. This gave him an appreciation for pinot noir; he loved the elegance and complexity of this Burgundian grape and knew that Oregon’s Willamette Valley was a hotbed of pinot activity. Mauricio landed in Salem and never looked back — except when it comes to his Cuban heritage.

The beach-like patio area, with its white-sand floor and inviting tables and chairs, has a distinctive Miami feel. All that’s needed are some Cuban sandwiches, congas and a few sets of dominos and you have New Havana. It’s “Cubanisimo Time!”. The views here of the Willamette Valley looking south toward Salem are incredible. At 650 feet in elevation, this is one of the highest points of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. This is a top 10 view.

You’re here for a good time, for sure, but there’s something deeper going on besides cigars and palm trees. It’s also a love affair with pinot noir. Inside the cool tasting room, it is often Mauricio’s daughter Christina who pours Cubanisimo Vineyard’s wines. It’s a manageable line-up of estate wines to sample — all delightful, including several pinot noirs, pinot gris and rosés of pinot noir. All the while, Cuban music is playing in the background, elevating the tropical mood and causing many a visitor to fantasize about leading a conga line with glass in hand under the light of a full moon.

The winemaker for Cubanisimo Vineyards is Rob Stuart. Beginning in the 1990s, Cubanisimo Vineyards supplied grapes to Erath Vineyards, where Rob Stuart worked as chief winemaker. Despite the fact that Rob launched his own label – R. Stuart & Co. in nearby McMinnville their friendship and close working relationship continues strong as ever.

WineTrail tip: For WineTrail trekkers with a penchant for Latin swing, Cubanisimo offers salsa dance lessons once a month. In addition, enjoy salsa/jazz weekends during Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend and Thanksgiving Day Weekend. Ricky Ricardo move over!

As the saying goes at Cubanisimo Vineyards, “Pride, passion, pinot. ¡Bienvenido!”