Rioja: Famous Architects, the French, and American Oak
This issue was published on June 21, 2023.
Happy Wine Wednesday!
We’re heading to Rioja in today’s issue then talking to Kira Ballotta, winemaker and owner of sister wineries Olivia Brion Wines and Cantadora.
I’ve also included the 20% off wine discount below in case you missed it last week…
So pour yourself a glass and let’s get our wine nerd on!
Rioja
Famous Architects, the French, and American Oak
If you like big Napa Valley cabs and syrahs, you’ll love red wine from Spain’s Rioja!
Rioja, a wine region that is a designated DOCa (or denominación de origen calificada meaning "Qualified Designation of Origin" – the highest category in Spanish wine classification), is in north central Spain, west of Navarra and south of the Basque region. Although white and rosé wines are also made here, the area is best known for its tempranillo-based rich and robust red wines – as well as its white asparagus, piquillo peppers, and tiny artichokes!
We’ll start this off with a fun fact.
Not only is Rioja known for its delicious (and affordable) wines, but they’re also known as having some of the most architecturally unique wineries in the world!
Take a look at this hotel that is part of Marqués de Riscal winery, designed by Frank Gehry (who designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, along with many other famous buildings):
The hotel at Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain designed by architect Frank Gehry. Image Courtesy of Marqués de Riscal
And check out these photos of Bodegas Ysios winery. Amazing!
With stunning designs by world-class architects like Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid, there’s even a wine tasting and architecture tour in Rioja for those who want to take in the beauty of nature, wine, and human design.
Moving on.
First, a little bit of some very long history.
Wine harvesting in La Rioja has its origins dating back to the Phoeniciansa and Celtiberians, and the first written evidence of grapes in the region dates all the way back to 873! Rioja wine first received legal recognition from the King of Navarra and Aragon in 1102, and there is proof of the wine being exported as early as the late 13th century. Fast forward just a bit to 1650 when the first document was drawn up to protect the quality of Rioja wines and then in 1991, La Rioja received the Calificada (qualified) nomination making it Spain’s first DOCa.
You can’t talk about Rioja’s history without mentioning its ties to France. The region (also known as Spain’s Bordeaux) first began aging their wines in oak barrels after a Rioja winemaker named Manuel Quintano adopted this practice from the French in 1780. By the 1850s, other winemakers began using French oak to age their wines – although they quickly realized that oak trees from North America were cheaper and switched over to creating their own American oak barrels. More on that later.
Around the 1850s and 1860s, parasitic fungus, insect infestation, and other maladies created difficulties for French winemakers. To satisfy demand, French merchants traveled to Rioja where wine sales then boomed. In just one generation, the vineyard area of Rioja grew by 40,000 acres! Some of these French merchants ended up staying and starting wineries (or bodegas) of their own, creating wines that tasted as close as possible to French wines.
Long history short, Rioja is now known as the source of some extraordinary wines.
So let’s talk about the wines themselves.
Like Bordeaux, Rioja wines were traditionally a blend with tempranillo at its base. The other three grapes that can be added are garnacha (also known as grenache), mazuelo (also known as carignan), and graciano. Today, it’s common to find 100% tempranillo Riojas as well as blends.
Tempranillo (from the Spanish word temprano for early) can be either very structured, dark and earthy with notes of leather, or more elegant and fruity, closer to a traditional pinot noir. This means that a Rioja from one producer and vintage can be very different from another producer!
The aging process can also produce varying tastes in Rioja wines. As mentioned earlier, the region is actually one of the few in the Old World that uses American oak! While more traditional winemakers use older American barrels for softer flavors over a longer aging period, new and modern producers are starting to use new, French oak to age their wines for a shorter period of time. This has resulted in two styles of Riojas: aged, mellow, earthy wines and then more fruit-driven wines with strong oak influences. No matter what their philosophy is, oak aging is a key part of Rioja wines which are still aged longer than almost any other wines in the world!
The law dictates the minimum length of time that a Rioja must be aged (although many are still aged for longer). Here’s a breakdown for your reference:
Crianzas: Reds must be aged for at least 2 years, with 1 year being in oak barrels. Whites for a minimum of 6 months in oak. The grapes picked for crianza are not of the highest quality, and the goal of a crianza is to be a good daily drinker. Think of crianzas as a great value, fruity cabernet sauvignon
Reservas: Reds must be aged for at least 3 years with 1 year being in oak. Whites must be aged for 2 years, with 6 months minimum in oak. These red grapes are more purposefully selected and the resulting wines tend to be a high-quality, happy medium between fruity crianzas and oak-heavy gran reservas
Gran reservas: Reds must be aged for at least 5 years, 2 of which must be in oak and the remaining 3 years in bottles. Whites must be aged for 4 years, of which 1 year must be in oak. These are wines from exceptional vintages and of the best grapes. Gran reservas have the most tannins and structure, and therefore age-worthiness. Even though they must be aged for a minimum of 5 years, many gran reservas are aged for much longer.
In case this is all sounding way too high brow, here’s the good news:
Rioja’s are incredibly affordable. You’d be hard pressed to find another wine that is of this quality at this same price. That being said, there’s also a lot of cheap crianza that isn’t so good. Stick with reserva and above and you’ll find something affordable and amazing!
Fun fact: Not that long ago, it was perfectly standard for bodegas to age their wine for 15-20 years! In fact, one famous producer, Marqués de Murrieta, released their 1942 gran reserva in 1983. Wild.
Lastly, let’s talk a little bit about the region. The Rioja valley is surrounded by the Sierra Cantabria, a small mountain range that stops clouds from going into the valley, and follows the Ebro River. The wine region is split into 3 sections:
Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja): This is the most eastern of the three regions (meaning Oriental), and the wines here tend to be more fruit-forward while newer wineries focus on rich, lush styles of wine. These wines require less aging and can be enjoyed right away!
Rioja Alta: With high elevation and cool temperatures, these wines tend to be more elegant with higher levels of tannin and acidity than Rioja Oriental
Rioja Alavesa: These wines are similar to those of Rioja Alta
Pair Rioja Alta and Alavesa with pasta with tomato sauces, lamb, and high-fat meats like pork and chorizo. The richer wines from Rioja Oriental can handle some spice, like chili con carne, and some richness, like paella. If you can find a Rioja goat cheese, add that along with hard cheeses to a charcuterie board with jamon serrano for an absolutely perfect pairing to go with older, mellow Riojas.
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Kira Ballotta
Owner and Winemaker of Olivia Brion Wines and Cantadora
This interview has been edited for clarity.
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.
Get a wine-related movie or book pairing for your weekend.
Today’s pairing is actually two episodes from the podcast How I Built This with Guy Raz
If you’re unfamiliar with the podcast, Guy Raz interviews innovators and entrepreneurs about their stories and how they built their companies. In these episodes, Guy Raz interviews Robin and Andréa McBride, the sisters behind the largest Black-owned winery, McBride Sisters.
Guys. This interview blew my mind. I teared up, I laughed. Robin and Andréa are half-sisters – who didn’t even know the other existed on the other side of the world until they were young adults! It’s truly an incredible story.
Grab a bottle of their wine (available at Target, your grocery store, and elsewhere) and settle in for a fascinating two-part interview.
Listen to part 1 wherever you listen to podcasts here.
That’s all for this week!
Have a wine-derful week, don’t forget to save 20% on your Panoramic Wines, and see you next Wednesday!
Cheers,
Megumi