Meet Artisanal Winemaker Daniel Cordomí of Finca Casilla Verde
- Terri Casey
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
Route 40 The Wine Route | Colalao del Valle | Province of Tucumán
I am Daniel Cordomí, born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Tucumán, Argentina. I lived in Tucumán from early childhood until 1991, the year my wife and I, together with our now-adult daughter, decided to move back to the United States, where I spent all of my working years until 2023.
About a year before retirement, and maybe even earlier, I started looking for places to retire in Tucumán and other provinces in Argentina, focusing on Route 40 because of its accessibility for travel and its beauty. I heard of LEC while working with satellite imagery and exploring Route 40, and on Terri Casey’s website (www.caseyargentina.com) I found my finca for sale!
What has been the most challenging part of your transition to full-time living in Argentina?
I was prepared for the challenges and unknown variables, as I had been visiting annually. All things considered, I am happier here, in the chaos that is Argentina, than bored in the United States! Here, I must stay on my toes, and it keeps me feeling alive!
What made you say, “I’m starting a winery”?
This was a subtle evolution of my path, not a sudden “aha” moment. I realized that moving to Argentina for a country-club lifestyle did not yet suit me. Seeing the possibilities of this small finca for sale sparked my creative process, and the excitement and vision just grew and transformed my path. I believe that life sometimes leads you where you need to be if you keep the doors open. I am super content and excited about my new life as a vineyard owner and hands-on winemaker. The possibilities are endless.
What is one thing about this terroir that surprised you after your first harvest?
My first harvest was in February 2025. Being new to winemaking and vineyard maintenance, I was surprised by the resilience of the vines. In late February 2025, an intense hailstorm covered the entire vineyard. Regardless, there was no alteration during winemaking and no need to adjust conditions for the natural fermentation to occur, such as with commercial yeasts, the addition of water, or other chemicals. Another characteristic of the terroir is the high altitude, low precipitation, and high thermal amplitude, which yield grapes with intense color and sugar content. What I enjoy most is the abundance of sunny days, not to mention the hot summer days and much-needed thunderstorms.
What particular things challenge vineyards in the Calchaquí Valley, and how do you mitigate them?
My vineyard is small, and in our efforts to keep it as natural and eco-friendly as possible, we are hands-on in the treatment of ants, which are a perpetual problem. Rather than blanket fumigation, which covers the entire vineyard, grapes, leaves, and soil, we treat the individual ant holes as needed, in the dark, almost daily.
This summer, January and February 2026, was particularly wet, which caused many fungi and other insects to appear and created additional challenges. At the same time, the rains allowed us to have a much larger harvest.
If your vineyard had a personality, how would you describe it?
My vineyard is neat, generous, amiable, and has a twist of OCD.
What are you doing differently from the big, established bodegas around you?
I produce artisanal wines; under this category, production is less than 5,000 liters. The 2025 harvest yielded 1,100 bottles of Malbec and 600 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. My vineyard produces about 1,600–1,700 liters; a small production like this often yields a better-quality wine.
For example, I neither use nor need to use clarifying agents or filtering techniques, which are usually implemented with synthetic substances and cellulose ultra-filters. My wines rest in secondary fermentation tanks from March through September, allowing for a slow secondary fermentation (malolactic) and natural filtering by sedimentation. Primary fermentation also takes place naturally, driven by the primitive yeasts that exist on the surface of the skins of grapes—and most fruits.
Established larger bodegas—more often than not—have to induce fermentation by adding commercially acquired yeasts. These bodegas also practice a form of divided harvest: unripened grapes are first harvested and stored, and then ripe grapes are harvested in season. For fermentation, sugar and yeast need to be added. In my case, I take the grapes all the way to maturity, monitoring the sugar content to determine the right time to harvest and always making sure that no weather events have washed away the naturally occurring yeast.
Another important factor is bottling: I do my own bottling with a food-grade filling machine, thus avoiding commercial bottling, in which large machines dictate the types of filters through which the wine must pass in order to enter the filling process.
All the differences I mentioned are reflected in the end result: wines with bold colors and flavors, generous alcohol content, and enjoyment from the first to the last sip.
Where do you see your winery—and the Calchaquí Valley as a wine region and destination—in 10 years?
This will prove to be a very exciting time, as Tucumán and Cafayate share the Wine Route, and this corridor will expand with many new bodegas. Recently, the Ambassador of Portugal visited the School of Winemaking here in Colalao and expressed particular interest in the terroir of this area, with the aim of experimenting with varieties from Portugal that may flourish here. In addition, there may be an exchange program between the local school and Portugal, furthering the international standing of Tucumán and Cafayate on the world stage.
On a personal note, I just received approval to produce an “Oporto,” and the trend toward new products seems to be becoming more and more interesting… Grappas, limoncellos, and other intriguing and innovative things will develop here, along with wines of increasing quality and variety.
If you would like more information on options to participate in living life in such a special place as Cafayate, please contact me. With confidentiality and confidence we can assist you to find the right fit for you to enjoy this wonderful place and invest in the bright future there.
Email: caseyteresita1@gmail.com • Tel: +54 9 11 4145 6640 WhatsApp: +54 9 11 4145 6640 • Skype: tcaseyskype or +1 650 206 - 2550