Meet Kira Ballotta: Winemaker & Owner of Olivia Brion Wines and Cantadora
This interview has been edited for clarity and was featured in the June 21, 2023 of Merobebe.
Merobebe
If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go?
Kira Ballotta
I make two different tempranillos and I’ve never been to a Spanish wine region. I’d really like to go to Rioja to visit the home of tempranillo.
Merobebe
What's your favorite non-wine drink?
Kira Ballotta
Definitely coffee, with a little milk.
Merobebe
And your favorite food & wine pairing?
Kira Ballotta
I love Torres Black Truffle potato chips with tempranillo. I also like popcorn with pinot noir. I enjoy cooking and exploring fancy pairings, but chips and popcorn are my comfort foods.
Merobebe
How did you become interested in winemaking, and what inspired you to finally take the leap and make your own wine?
Kira Ballotta
I was working in finance, mostly valuing mines. I know, a very traditional route to the wine industry, ha! My boss figured out a way to value the land purchased for grape vines in a tax advantageous way. My team started getting winery deals and I love doing the work on those projects. I went to Napa to learn more!
I refer to myself as the guest that never left. I kept coming up on weekends to help a winemaker I was introduced to by a friend. I eventually quit my work in the corporate world to pursue winemaking full time in 2013, and I also made my first wine that year. I made a Napa Valley petit verdot. I was able to get 400 lbs from some grape vines at the end of harvest. They had been shaded by an Oak tree and therefore not picked with the rest of the contract. I stored it in my garage in a half barrel and served it at my wedding in 2015.
Merobebe
What was the reaction to the petit verdot at your wedding? That's so cool that you were able to serve that on such a special day!
Kira Ballotta
I loved the petit verdot. I blended it with Merlot and it tasted beautiful. I haven’t made a petit verdot since, but my husband always looks for them on lists. It will remain a special varietal for us. There was lots of variation in bottling since we booked by hand but we still get a nice bottle out of the cellar occasionally.
Merobebe
How has your background in finance influenced how you run your wineries?
Kira Ballotta
Analytical abilities are powerful in all industries, even wine. I used my experience with spreadsheets and data analysis to get more advanced internships. For instance, I worked with the viticulturist at Quintessa on mapping out the vineyard and organizing data for all the trials we were doing on sap flow and vineyard stress.
Now that I run my own business, I find a degree in business invaluable. I do all my own cost of sale and inventory calculations for my taxes so I can really understand how much I’m making on each individual wine. It’s rare in this business to have that skill set.
Merobebe
What challenges have you faced as a woman in wine?
Kira Ballotta
My physical abilities were definitely questioned the most. Could I move this barrel? Could I drive a truck?
I was lucky to work under a woman for several years who was confident I could do all those things, so that confidence and guidance definitely helped with my exposure to a variety of work. But I also just had to stick up for myself and prove I could do it, even if I used a different technique that was adapted to my skill and body type.
Merobebe
One of your wine brands, Cantadora, is dedicated to empowering women and the sister label, Olivia Brion, shares historic women on the wine labels. What was the impetus behind these ideas?
Kira Ballotta
Olivia Brion was an existing label. She had one story that was based on the first woman who rode her bike around the world. I started working with it in 2016 and changed the marketing a bit to take Olivia on “new” adventures. Our customers really gravitated to these stories – the first woman to be arrested for wearing a “too small” bathing suit (an Olympic swimmer who had to design the first hydrodynamic swimwear for women), the first woman to ride a motorcycle transcontinental (before highways were built), the first woman in motorized flight (6 months before the Wright Brothers).
I loved these stories, too, but I felt strongly about sharing the stories of women from today who I consider superheroes. Cantadora is focused on that - living women doing extraordinary things for others.
Merobebe
You’ve talked a lot about the history of wine. Has that affected how you make your own wines?
Kira Ballotta
It mostly makes me grateful for all the technology and understanding we have today. Ancient winemakers would be so jealous of our stainless tanks that are easy to wash, and our barrel cleaning devices that truly sanitize. It wasn’t known what was actually producing the alcohol in wine until the mid 1800s when Louis Pasteur introduced germ theory and the concept that yeast were fermenting sugars into alcohol and CO2. We just had no idea how wine was actually being made for over 9,000 years so we didn’t know what ruined it! Which was deadly in some cases. There are remains of sacrificial victims for the grape harvest in the oldest wine production facility excavated. I’m so glad we understand that the issue is microbial and can be controlled and we no longer have to turn to the gods of wine for that assistance.
I also fantasize about making wine from ancient varietals - I’d love to revive some. But I’m truly happy exploring what California can offer us today. It’s still a burgeoning wine region in that it didn’t exist for thousands of years as a wine producer like the European regions. We still have a lot of exploration to do, so that keeps me plenty interested.
Merobebe
In your opinion, what is the most important topic in wine today?
Kira Ballotta
We need to focus on educating the consumer about organic production methods so they can push their retailers, who push their distributors, who then push the wineries and vineyards to grow grapes without Round-Up or harsh pesticide chemicals. We are making a luxury good – we shouldn't be polluting the air or water in pursuit of making it.
And just because a wine says "natural" or some other marketing tactic doesn't indicate if the grapes are grown organically or not. Always ask! If the demand grows strong enough change will continue to be made. I produce all my wines from organically farmed grapes and that limits my ability to grow. That's ok, but my footprint is still very small. We need the big businesses to take on the same mantle and that will take a big shift in demand and purchasing power.
Merobebe
Have you experienced the impact of climate change at your winery? Are there specific environmental issues that you're worried about as you think about the future of your winery and winemaking overall?
Kira Ballotta
Yes, the weather irregularity creates big changes in regions. The frosts last year wiped out most of my Sierra Foothills 2022 vintage so the wine I make will be very different than 2019 or 2021. This year looks promising, but a late pick date puts us deeper into fire season which is going to forever be a concern. Farming was already hard, climate change has exacerbated that.
Learn more about Kira’s wineries at Olivia Brion Wines and Cantadora, on social media at @oliviabrionwines and @cantadorawine, or email her at info[at]oliviabrion.com. You can also find Kira hosting winemaker-led tastings in Napa at her collective tasting room, Feast It Forward, and virtually.