Wonder Woman in Wine: My Interview with Arianna Spoto, Owner & Winemaker of Arianna Wines

All Things Wine

Sep 10

Meet the incredible Arianna Spoto! Most know her as Ari—super energetic, friendly, and uberly passionate about wine. She grew up in Oakville, California, and is a third-generation winemaker. The history of her winemaking roots dates back to the 1960s when her grandfather, Henry, began making wine as a hobby. Her father, Stuart, later committed to being a winemaker full-time and founded Spoto Family Wines (which became the first bonded winery within a residential neighborhood in Sacramento County circa 2004).

Growing up, Ari often took part in all aspects of the family business. She can recall helping her grandfather make wine as young as seven. One day during punchdowns, she got a little too excited and punched the cap down REALLY HARD, ending up in an explosion of sticky red juice/ wine everywhere! It ended up all over her grandfather’s white truck and even covered her grandfather’s white outfit. Ari distinctly remembers expecting him to be outraged by the huge mess, but he simply laughed it off. Several years later, she’s killing it with her own newly launched label, Arianna Wines, and has even scored her first Wine Enthusiast rating (88 points) with her 2019 Torrontés!

*Ari (around age eight) with her Grandpa, Henry, doing a punchdown together.*

This ambitious woman has MANY other entertaining stories to tell from her winemaking journeys around the world! I recently interviewed Ari about her adventures, and wanted to share it with you here:

Let’s start at the very beginning. How did you get into the wine industry? What initially drew you in?

My family has made wine for over 60 years, so naturally I was expected to help my family with age-appropriate tasks. I chose to pursue wine myself in college. I attended Cal Poly[, San Luis Obispo] and was undecided coming in, as to what I wanted to study. My grandfather suggested winemaking, since Cal Poly has a great program for it. I followed his suggestion, and found my own passion for winemaking.

I’m sure your dad is so proud of you carrying on the family’s legacy! What does he usually have to say about your wines? Do you often see eye-to-eye?

My family (mom and dad, plus husband) are my biggest cheerleaders. They are always bragging about me, and are kind enough to promote my label without me asking.
When I started off, my dad was a little unsure but I followed his recommendations of starting small; only purchasing what you think you can sell realistically, and not overextending yourself financially. When this proved to be fruitful [(literally😅)] and he saw that I was fully invested in making unusual varietals in the best quality possible, he got fully onboard. We constantly bounce ideas off of one another and consult each other for advice. I come to him with new, innovative ideas. He has great traditional knowledge and knows the market. Right now, we're in the middle of harvest, and we are constantly calling each other and seeing what the other suggests. Together, we cultivate premium wines for all drinkers.

With several winemakers in your family, I know that you’ve probably been exposed to wine as long as you could remember. Where did your love for wine begin? Do you have a first initial memory of it?

My actual love and interest wine started while I was studying at Cal Poly. My first ever Wine and Vit 101 class was out in Building 17 (AKA the boonies!). So as a naive freshman, I had my new school clothes, cutesy backpack, and everything else you would need for a basic class. As I approached the classroom, I noticed that it was more of a tractor shed than a classroom and that I was dressed like a complete goober. Everyone else had jeans, boots, and a flannel/ T-shirt on, with just a notebook. Someone a bit older, I assumed the professor, walked in and said, “Follow me, we're headed out to the vineyard.” And that was that! The class was in the vineyard, [so] you didn’t need [anything] to take notes. You [actually] experienced class, not just took it. Our exams [consisted of] pruning vines and pointing out vineyard pests. How is that not the best class ever?! From there, I met other students and locals in the industry. They showed me things I hadn’t known or experienced thus far, and that really hooked me.

Do you ever feel extra pressure being a third-generation winemaker? Like you have something more to prove?

I never felt like I had to prove anything. I was proud to share my wines and accomplishments with my dad and grandpa, but they loved me no matter what. My grandpa wanted to support me in any way he could and bought my first wine barrel! The only “pressure” I feel is that I don’t currently have plans to have children, so sadly the family legacy will end here.

Speaking of your wines, tell me about both of them! Share what your thoughts and overall goals are when you’re making them each vintage.

I currently have two wines available, and a third one coming in 2021. I like to focus on lesser-known varietals that might be otherwise blended away or unknown to the general public:
- Torrontés was the first grape that I made. It is a traditional white grape very well known in Argentina. (That’s actually where I learned about it in 2014.) [… More on this story below👇] Its heritage comes from the Muscat and Mission grapes; think juicy and flavorful. There are about 50 tons harvested in California annually, so you can only find this grape in a handful of places—ideally in warm and sunny vineyards. The chemistry of this grape is challenging, but I try to make this wine with as little intervention as possible. My goal is to express the beautiful esters and aromatics while keeping the palette in balance.
- My Malbec is an evolving project. My dad also produces this grape, so we have a friendly rivalry with our winemaking techniques and vineyard sources. I started by using his source for Malbec in 2017, but I will produce a Malbec in 2020 that is from my favorite vineyard, Pedregal de Paicines. It has the beautiful “blue” fruit I always like in a wine, and I want to make it in a more traditional Argentinian way: drinkable sooner, less oak, and fruit forward.
- I also collaborated with my dad on our 2018 Cabernet Franc. We used his source in Napa and produced a beautiful single-varietal wine. It has the traditional ruby red color and the flavor is fantastic—ripe red fruit, no pyrazines or green like some [other Cabernet] Francs. Again, I always try to make the wines with very little intervention, only inoculating for primary and malolactic fermentation.
- If things work out this year, I [will] also make a Tannat from Paso Robles. If not this year, then 2021 for sure!

What kind of foods would you pair your wines with, and what do you want your consumers to experience when enjoying them?

I like food pairings and think they are a great way to experience wine. I also love to enjoy wine without food, and really focus on what the winemaker was trying to share. I believe there is no right or wrong way to drink wine, so everyone should do what feels good to them. For me, I drink wine both ways.
I think that everyone should enjoy wine in the way that speaks to them. If you want tasting notes for my wine and suggested pairings, I have them available. If your idea is pairing wines with the perfect stemware, [or] with the perfect food pairing, cheers to you! If you prefer to drink the wine straight out of the bottle or share with friends in red solo cups, enjoy it! Drinking wine is everyone’s own personal adventure.

As you know, Torrontés is not a common grape. What made you want to make wine from this rare varietal?

I fell in love with Torrontés in 2014 when I was making wine in Argentina [at Altos Las Hormigas]. I was a cellar hand/ experimental winemaker for the vintage, helping the winemaker with vineyard mapping and small lot winemaking. One day, he sent us to this small vineyard with these crazy short vines with huge clusters of white grapes. Naturally, I wanted to [taste] the grapes we were picking. After popping a few grapes into my mouth, I was completely shocked and [immediately fell[] in love with this new grape. It tasted like yellow Starbursts, tropical fruit, and floral complexities. It was unlike anything else I’d ever tried. Later that evening, I went down to the local bodega [, which translates to a small grocery store😉,] to find some finished Torrontés to try. It was just like the grapes, but in liquid form. So aromatic and tropical! When I got back to California, I tried to find this grape, but to no avail. It wasn’t until July of 2018 that I had a client hand me a bottle of their wine as a thank you. When I looked at the bottle, I couldn’t believe it was a local Torrontés. I then turned to Google, found the grower. When I called him, I think he probably thought I was crazy, being that it was almost harvest and I wanted to buy some fruit. But he appeased me, and here I am today… Three vintages in.

Let’s venture back to your harvests abroad since, after all, you’ve worked all over the world! Was your first abroad anything like you expected?

My first vintage abroad was in Tasmania, Australia in 2013 [at Pipers Brook Vineyard]. I was definitely more interested in doing a harvest in a more unusual place, but felt that I should try a vintage overseas in English before I tried in Spanish or French. This was a good idea because I had only seen the small family winemaking model—not-the-100,000-plus-cases-a-year-kind. Luckily, Australia is all about PPE and safety, so we spent the first few weeks covering winery protocol and safety. It was a vintage unlike anything I’d ever done before, since my family mostly made red wine in a basket press. This winery made sparkling wines, many whites, and cool-climate reds. It was a very good learning experience, and opened my eyes to the many ways of winemaking.

What would you say has been your most exciting wine adventure abroad? Any crazy stories or adventures you’d like to share?

My vintages in Argentina and South Africa were pretty neat. In Argentina, I lived in a small village near the winery. I lived with three other guys, and only one of them spoke English. It was a fun challenge to do everything in Spanish and be so far out-of-town. Literally everything was an adventure. We visited a “witch doctor” because we needed to see a regular doctor but there wasn’t anyone locally. I also got pulled over by Argentinian policia [(bet you can figure that translation out!)] after picking grapes one day, but because I wasn’t that proficient in Spanish, they let me go. It was such a great experience and every day I faced something new.
In South Africa, we had a fire burn very near to the winery [at Lourensford Wine Estate] during harvest. It wasn’t anything like our California wildfires, but it was still fire. They don’t have a traditional fire department like we have here, so we picked up some local firefighting equipment and tried to put out the fire ourselves.
Unrelated to harvest, I also got to know a local snake “wrangler”. He was the local guy who would come get snakes that ventured into people’s homes and property. I went with him a few times and we picked up some puff adders and cape cobras. He had a whole menagerie at his house, and he would “milk” them for their venom for local hospitals to make antivenom.

How do you feel like those experiences abroad have shaped you as a person and winemaker?

My experiences abroad have taught me that there’s more than one way to do something. And sometimes when we face challenges in winemaking, we just have to see if there’s another way to do it. I worked with some very talented winemakers, and continue to meet new ones through my work. I love to ask everyone questions, and learn something new from everyone. It has also exposed me to varietals that I didn’t know existed. Case in point Torrontés. Personally, experiencing different cultures taught me that the world is a big place and there is so much out there. Never stop learning and growing.

What is your current winemaking philosophy with Arianna Wines? Are there certain principles that you value over others?

My family stands by two rules of winemaking: get good fruit and keep everything clean. If you follow this ideal, you’ll always make good wine.
Also, since we come from humble family roots, we make things on a small scale. My grandpa made wine exclusively as a hobby. My dad makes it commercially but has grown organically. They both taught me that you want to grow within your means, but never over extend yourself.

What do you foresee the future of Arianna Wines looking like overall? Maybe your five- or ten-year plan?

I am hopeful for my own facility one day! While I do like making wine at my family’s facility, it is challenging that they live four hours drive away. It would be neat to have a little spot like the one in Tin City.
I’d also love to take over my family’s brand one day. My dad has always said that he wants the legacy to live on, and I would love to do that for him and our family.

You’ve worked in a male-dominant industry for several years now. Have you ever experienced being inappropriately undermined or belittled due to being a woman? How did you handle the situation?

Definitely! I am usually one of very few women working at a winery—if not, the only woman. I always want to show that I am willing and able, and can do everything my male colleagues can do. I just want to have a mutual respect around the winery, and that was challenging at times in Argentina. One example stands out is a time when I needed to do something on the forklift. And normally there was an appointed forklift guy, but this was going to take about 20 seconds so I thought I could just get it done quickly myself. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of the local guys around pulled out their cell phones to take a video of me (assuming I didn’t know what I was doing?). I got what I needed to get done, but after, they were all so impressed a woman could drive a forklift. I didn’t address it, as it is a cultural thing, but it’s something that stands out to me looking back.

Now for a few random, but fun questions! What’s the strangest word or phrase you’ve used to describe the smell or taste of wine?

This is my favorite story, and I tell it a lot! I was in South Africa enjoying a lovely tasting with some friends. I remember trying one of the wines (I don’t remember if it was red or white), but I noted that it tasted like a pirate ship. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but I told them to bear with me. I said to think of what a pirate ship would look like: just docked up on a small sandy island in the Caribbean, the smell of coconuts in the air, and fresh sea-salted breeze. Tropical flowers and fruits nearby and barrels of rum below, smelling sweet and toasty. All of a sudden, my friends came around and nodded their heads in agreement.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your current work?

I love the flexibility and self-motivation this job has. You really get what you put into your work and you can do it on your own schedule (except harvest). I can put myself in meetings with other great winemakers, visit on- and off- premise stores to sell my wine, host tastings, and more. The world is my oyster!

What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?

I am a jack of all trades but a master of none. I really enjoy learning about everything, and being able to have a conversation with anyone. I also like to have skills to manage for myself when my husband isn’t around, like changing a tire or my oil. Being well-rounded in life is key!

What are currently your favorite everyday go-to wines? (Those that are more for casual drinking after a long day at work… I call them typical Tuesday wines😜).

Something unusual and suggested by a friend. I love when people share suggestions with me, since most people know that I like something a little less mainstream. An unknown varietal always does the trick. Or something that someone I know made is always fun to enjoy. I love the underdogs and supporting small brands.

If you weren't working in the wine industry, what would you be doing?

Something with animals or fitness? I grew up horseback riding and worked at a dude ranch in Wyoming during the summers when I was in college. Anything outside and getting a little activity in is what I enjoy. I also teach spin classes as a hobby. I guess I’m still that kid that likes to go play outside and get dirty.

What advice would you offer someone who is new to, or trying to get into the wine industry?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If anyone gives you flack, it’s probably because they don’t know the answer and are afraid to admit it. The wine industry is a very collaborative industry and we all are big promoters of one another. Look for the people who motivate you and seek out their help.

Thank you for sharing your story! Where can people follow along? Pimp yourself out!