about the winemaker

Arianna was very fortunate to be born in to a winemaking family; from a very young age, she helped her grandfather, Henry Spoto, with his home winemaking.  As she got older, she enjoyed helping the family but didn’t have any idea what she wanted to do “when she grew up”.  Her grandfather suggested that she could take a Wine and Viticulture class after gaining acceptance to California Polytechnical State University in San Luis Obispo.  She agreed and after her first class, she was hooked.

Arianna graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Wine and Viticulture and then moved to Napa to begin her career in wine.  She worked in a tasting room, enjoying the Napa-way, but realized that this job wasn’t her calling.  From there, she got a job in Tasmania, Australia as a harvest intern.  She enjoyed making cool-climate and sparkling wines, and this excited her enthusiasm for travel.

After this harvest job, Arianna returned home to help her family, and then found her next harvest job in Mendoza, Argentina.  She helped the winemaker with small-lot winemaking: mapping vineyards for the best harvest time and healthiest vines.  It was during this harvest she learned about the grape, Torrontes.  It was such an interesting and unusual grape; it stole a piece of her heart.

Upon returning from her South American harvest, Arianna intended to stay back in the USA and find a fulltime job.  But things didn’t align as she had hoped, and she found herself back abroad, this time in South Africa for another harvest.  Arianna helped the winemaker experiment on poor-producing Mourvedre vines.  They used different techniques, trying to maximize the output of the vines.  Unfortunately, the vines were diseased and none of the techniques seemed to offer a better alternative.

Arianna then returned home with the intent on moving back to San Luis Obispo.  She found a harvest job in Edna Valley and hoped it would turn into something long-term; Mother Nature had other plans, and the vintage ran short. However, another opportunity came knocking at her door in the form of barrel sales.  She took a position with a French cooperage, Tonnellerie Leroi,  selling barrels all the while continuing to make wine with her family in the slow season.

Several years later, during a visit to one of her clients, Arianna was given a bottle of their newly-bottled Torrontes.  She couldn’t believe there was anyone in California producing this grape, and immediately started to research the vineyard where it came from.  She was successful, and ended up securing a contract for 1.5 tonnes from the grower (the minimum purchase), only one month before harvest. She had a colleague who was also interested in making Torrontes and they began a collaboration.

She is now several vintages into her production and slowly starting to grow her brand and offerings.  If her family taught her anything, it was to grow slowly, always get good quality fruit and keep things clean!  This idea has paid off and they are now collaborating together with their two brands.