With a collective 75 years of production experience, the skilled hands of The Señoras have touched more than 40 million bottles of sparkling wine throughout their careers.
DUNDEE, Ore. – April 9, 2024 – On March 14, Oregon’s Argyle Winery hosted a special event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of three of its longest tenured employees: Carmela Reyes, Martha Acevedo and Maria Quiroz-Guerrero. Known as The Señoras, Reyes, Acevedo and Quiroz-Guerrero all joined the Argyle team between January and March of 1999. Throughout their careers, the dedication and hard work of The Señoras has played a key role in shaping the culture at Argyle, while helping to establish the winery’s reputation for excellence.
Reyes, Acevedo and Quiroz-Guerrero all moved from Mexico to Oregon in the early 1990s, where they quickly fell in love with the Willamette Valley’s “peaceful, family-oriented communities, safe schools and weather.” After joining Argyle in 1999, the three became good friends and gave themselves the nickname The Señoras. While the trio became adept at an array of production duties, their early focus was managing Argyle’s bottling line and hand riddling the winery’s sparkling wines, which required touching 1,500 bottles of wine twice a day. Prior to the adoption of mechanical riddling technology, it is estimated that The Señoras personally touched bottles of Argyle sparkling wine more than 40 million times over the past quarter century. Today, Reyes, Acevedo and Quiroz-Guerrero continue to play an integral role at the winery, overseeing bottling and packaging and contributing their many talents to production.
Carmela Reyes calls Argyle her “second home,” a thought that is echoed by Acevedo. “I never thought about staying this long, but the time has flown by. I enjoy the work and the people I work with. They are like family.” When asked about their many contributions to Argyle, Reyes said, “We have given our hard work and our spirit; we have given Argyle our best.” With a smile, Quiroz-Guerrero is quick to add, “We have also brought good luck. When we started here, Argyle was very small. Now we are very well known. We made a difference.”
When talking about the longevity of their careers, The Señoras credit the winery’s culture and its respect for prioritizing family. “They are always very understanding that when there is an emergency, they know family comes first,” said Acevedo, whose children worked at Argyle during holidays and summer vacations once they were old enough.
For Director of Operations Geoff Hall, the contributions of The Señoras are countless. “No one here is as good at what they do as Carmela, Martha and Maria. They know everything and they hustle all the time. When they have a concern or suggest changes, I listen, because they know. They are also fiery, funny, and inspiring. They bring a wisdom and consistency to their work that makes everyone around them better. They are the queen bees in our beehive.”
When asked what they would like people to know about the many contributions that the Latino population has made to the wine industry in Oregon and elsewhere, Acevedo offers a humble, succinct answer, “We are hard workers.”
In addition to The Señoras, Argyle has several other long-tenured employees who have already, or will soon, reach major employment milestones, including Juan Marquez and Antonio Espinoza, who will be celebrating 26 and 25 years at Argyle respectively, and Cathy Martin, the winery’s community development manager, who will mark her 25th anniversary in April.
“Growing grapes and making great wine is a collective, collaborative process, with many often-cunsung heroes,” added Hall. “Recognizing this milestone for Carmela, Martha and Maria is an important part of honoring their hard work and dedication, and the important role they have had in shaping Argyle.”
“I’m very proud that Argyle was my first job,” said Reyes, “and that when the time comes it will be my last.”
About Argyle Winery
Founded in 1987, Argyle is Oregon’s original sparkling wine house. In the years since, what began as a conviction to grow world-class sparkling wine has grown to include an acclaimed portfolio of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Argyle farms nearly 500 acres of estate vineyards in the Willamette Valley. They also welcome guests daily at the Argyle Tasting House, located in the same downtown Dundee space they’ve called home since the beginning. To learn more, visit ArgyleWinery.com.
