160: Kira Ballotta - Olivia Brion and Cantadora

Inside Winemaking - the art and science of growing grapes and crafting wine

This episode features Kira Ballotta, owner and winemaker for the two brands celebrating past and present trailblazing women. If a wine brand was a historical fiction novel, Olivia Brion would be the main character in that novel. Each bottle of wine tells a different “chapter” of her story. Life being somewhat more surprising than fiction, the stories of Olivia Brion are inspired by the full lives of real trailblazing women from history. Cantadora is the natural evolution of Olivia Brion. Where Olivia Brion focuses on stories from history, Cantadora features women from today, giving back to the shared community in exceptional ways. Our conversation in this episode ranges from Kira’s background, the varietals she works with, the challenges of building small brands, and the women that Kira has partnered with in creating the Cantadora wines.