Tango and Terroir

Malbec in the City brings wine, music and movement together

By Paula Bandy

Malbec has always carried a sense of movement.

Born in Southwest France. Reinvented in Argentina. Malbec now thrives across our state’s varied landscapes¬– from Southern Oregon’s warm days and cool nights to the high desert edges of Snake River and the structured power of the Walla Walla Valley. It is a grape shaped by migration, adaptation and rhythm.

Each spring in Portland, Malbec’s tempo becomes tangible.

Striding into its fourth year, Malbec in the City has become one of Oregon’s most distinct wine gatherings. Founded by Argentine-born Juan Pablo Valot, known as JP, co-owner and winemaker of Valcan Cellars, the event places Malbec at center stage. And it does so with unapologetic energy.

This is not a quiet, fussy tasting.

Picture downtown energy meeting vineyard intention. Bold reds poured alongside live tango. Think structure, spice, dark fruit and music moving through the body as it does the entire room. “Here in the U.S., we talk about what food pairs with wine but no one discusses wine and music pairings,” Valot says. “When I was growing up, tango was inherent with wine.”

That pairing is the soul of Malbec in the City.

The Malbec Experience

“I asked myself, ‘What’s missing here?’ when looking at other wine events,” Valot explains. “Music isn’t really participatory but instead in the background. At Malbec in the City, music is a key player. All your senses are working at the same time. Smell, taste, hear, see, touch– and the tango music, naturally, gives the vibe inside the body, allowing you to relax and feel safe.”

The event features Portland’s Alex Krebs and his Tango Berretín, with live music and dance throughout the afternoon. The courtyard serves as both a tasting and gathering space, complete with food truck fare, outdoor seating– and this year, a photo booth adds to the celebratory tone. Valot describes the event atmosphere simply: “Disneyland for wine.”

But beneath the fun lies something more intentional. “This event promotes the variety while also fostering the cultural side within Malbec– the experience. We can say this is the Malbec experience. It’s bigger than all of us.”

Beyond Pinot

Oregon’s wine narrative has long been anchored by Pinot Noir, and deservedly so. But Malbec has quietly carved out its own identity across the state.

“Malbec is versatile. It can go from white to full-bodied red, and everything in between, including sparkling,” Valot notes. “Come experience all that Malbec can be at Malbec in the City.”

At Valcan Cellars, that range is striking. The winery produces 11 distinct styles of Malbec, including rosé, sparkling, multiple red versions, and, most recently, a port-style wine. Valot hopes to debut the port and his 2021 Black Malbec at this year’s gathering. For Valot, showcasing this versatility is central to his mission.

Malbec is not a single-note grape. It is adaptable, structural, expressive.

And in Oregon, it is finding clarity.

Malbec’s Many Expressions

In Southern Oregon– particularly in the Rogue Valley– Malbec thrives under warm summer days and significant diurnal shifts as nighttime temperatures drop. The sun coaxes depth and dark fruit; cool evenings preserve acidity and lift. The resulting wines often present blackberry, plum, graphite and spice, balanced by freshness and food-friendly structure.

The grape’s adaptability reflects the growing location with surprising transparency. In warmer southern vineyards, it deepens into plush black fruit and velvety tannin. In cooler pockets, it tightens, with characteristics of violet, cracked pepper and firm acidity. In Walla Walla, it builds density and age-worthy structure. From the Columbia Gorge to the Snake River, producers are exploring the grape’s capacity to reflect place.

Valot admits he was surprised by the breadth of the grape across the region. “There will be Malbec from wineries all over Oregon, including Snake River, the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Gorge,” he says. “I hadn’t realized there was so much Malbec being made.” That discovery has become part of the event’s energy. Oregon producers gather with neighboring regions for one focused purpose: to showcase what the grape can do.

And it does a lot.

Urban Energy, Active Senses

Malbec has a certain physicality. It does not whisper. It is far from demure. It embodies structure, density and tension. It refuses to disappear quietly. It thrives in a city setting because it has urban energy: power and polish in contrast, generosity wrapped in tannin, presence that commands attention without apology.
“If you want subtle, there are other events,” Valot says with a grin. “If you want structure, tension, dark fruit– and a varietal stepping fully into its Oregon identity– this is the room.”

There is also something culturally resonant about Malbec in Portland. The city’s creative pulse, its embrace of experience over formality, mirrors the event’s ethos. You are not expected to analyze. You are invited to engage. “At Malbec in the City, you don’t need to do anything,” Valot says. “It has everything here for you, so you can just enjoy.” That ease is intentional. By activating all the senses, it becomes immersive rather than instructive.

More Than Comparison

While Malbec is often associated with Argentina, Malbec in the City is not about imitation. It is not a comparison tasting. It is not a nod to tradition alone. It is about Oregon’s voice– plural, site-driven, increasingly confident.

Oregon Malbec carries intensity without losing balance. It can be bold without becoming heavy. It can express power with polish. Its range challenges any assumption that our red wine identity begins and ends with Pinot Noir.

Malbec in the City is, at its core, an invitation to expand the narrative. To recognize Oregon wine is not one-dimensional. Our state’s viticultural story continues to stretch into bold, expressive territory shaped by climate, culture and creative ambition.

Malbec has traveled continents. It has crossed hemispheres. It has adapted and evolved.

Now, in Portland, it dances each spring.

Join the gathering.

Taste the evolution.

Malbec in the City
Sunday, April 19, noon to 5
Castaway Portland, 1900 N.W. 18th Ave., Portland
Tickets: $65 general / $80 VIP
malbecinthecity.com

Paula Bandy and her dachshund, Copperiño, are often seen at Rogue Valley’s finest wineries, working to solve the world’s problems. She has covered wine, lifestyle, food and home in numerous publications and academic work in national and international journals. For a decade, she was an essayist/on-air commentator and writer for Jefferson Public Radio, Southern Oregon University’s NPR affiliate. Most recently, she penned The Wine Stream, a bi-weekly wine column for the Rogue Valley Times. Paula believes wine, like beauty, can save the world. She’s also a Certified Sherry Wine Specialist and currently sits on the Board for Rogue Valley Vintners. @_paulabandy