WINEMAKER ANDRÉS IBARRA

Andrés Ibarra, recently named winemaker at Rideau Vineyard, worked long and hard to land his dream job. Whether laboring in dusty vineyards, wrestling hoses, or evaluating blends in the corporate office, he tackled his chores with equal gusto and commitment to quality.

 At the tender age of 13, Ibarra and his family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. As one of 10 children, he soon found himself knocking on doors after school (where he quickly learned to speak English) in search of work to help keep the family afloat financially.

 He mowed lawns and weeded yards until one day he stopped at a local vineyard to ask for a job. When the owner said “yes,” Ibarra, then 14 years old, took up a pair of shears, walked into the vineyard and inadvertently embarked on an apprenticeship that would last more than 20 years.

 “The very first job I ever had relating to the wine industry was pruning,” Ibarra remembered. “The second year I was in charge of the crew, and when it rained, I’d work in the cellar.

 Ibarra stayed at Santa Ynez Winery for 12 long, experience-rich years, working with several different winemakers and two new winery owners in the process. In January 1998, he was offered the assistant winemaker position at Fess Parker Vineyard and Ibarra happily moved across the valley and a little farther up the ladder of his vocation.

 “I eventually moved up to associate winemaker,” Ibarra sail proudly. “As assistant, you just help the winemaker, but as associate, I was seeing grapes from the vineyard all the way into the bottle. I was responsible for the wine from start to finish.”

 Ibarra spent seven years at Fess Parker Vineyard, refining his palate, honing his oenological skills, and filling in the details of his winemakeing dreams. He even bottled a few cases of his very own Petite Sirah made from a choice block of Caldwell’s La Presa Vineyard.

 It was an unlabeled bottle of that handmade Petite Sirah that opened the door to the next phase of Ibarra’s career. Upon sampling the wine, Iris set up an appointment to interview the winemaker.

 “He was so professional and respectful,” Rideau said of the encounter. “His knowledge of every aspect of the vineyard and vinery is so impressive, but Andy isn’t a showoff. He just wants to make wines that he can be proud of.”

On Feb. 16, 2005 Ibarra stepped into his well-deserved post as winemaker at Rideau Vineyard.

 “I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Ibarra said modestly. “It’s an up-and-coming winery, and I look forward to spending some of my better years here.
“In the bigger wineries, your style gets lost in the shuffle,” he added, “but this is still a small winery. Every wine you make, you have a lot of you in there.”

 Asked whether he intends to alter Rideau’s style or offerings, Ibarra said, “Any change I make will just be an improvement on the wines, (though), we are going to start a Petite Sirah program. It’s always nice to have something different than everyone else.”

 Ibarra treasures his early labors in the field, because “you start making wine in the vineyard.” He feels lucky to have learned tricks and techniques from some of the best practitioners in the industry.
 
 Ibarra’s early work ethic has remained strong, for when not tending to his duties at Rideau or spending time with his wife and three children, he can be found walking vineyard rows.

  “I think about all the jobs I’ve ever had,” Ibarra mused, “and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done: working in the vineyard, the cellar, the lab, and I enjoy drinking wine too.”

 To become a successful winemaker, Ibarra has paid his dues in spades. He learned his craft from the ground up, proved his mettle, and claimed his hard-won prize: a satisfying career built on persistence, ability, and undeniable grit.



CAREN RIDEAU APPOINTED ASSISTANT WINEMAKER

 
After assisting in many capacities at the winery, from the time of its inception in 1997, Caren Rideau has now been named Assistant Winemaker at Rideau Vineyard. From the beginning, Caren has traveled with Iris to promote the wines, assisted and attended the many wonderful winery events that have unfolded, and worked several harvest at the winery.

 In the past two years alone, Caren Rideau has worked under the tutelage of Winemaker, Andres Ibarra, assisting him with every facet of winemaking at harvest. In the harvest of 2006, 

Caren was responsible for checking the brix (measurement of natural sugar on grapes that signals full maturation), hand sorting and crushing the grapes, assisting in the operation of the press, fermenting the wines, and, ultimately, barreling down the newly made wines. It was in the cellar that Caren found her true passion within the wine business.

 Having for years been an accomplished cook herself, Caren enjoys pairing wines with foods, the exploration of each varietal’s potential and the making of fermented grape juice into something sublime and beautiful. 

To that end, Caren has introduced two varietals to Rideau Vineyard under her own label, Siempre, a Sauvignon Blanc and Tempranillo. She has also been responsible for the grafting of Albarino onto existing vines so that, in a few years, one can expect an Albarino wine, made by Caren Rideau, from her Siempre label. Caren intends on moving to the Santa Ynez Valley (she currently resides in Los Angeles) within the next few years.

 In the meantime, she divides her time between Santa Ynez and Los Angeles, spending all of her weekends at the winery, as well as much of the work week, enabling her to be a hands-on assistant winemaker. “I’m so proud of my Goddaughter, Caren,” says Iris Rideau. “It’s wonderful to watch her find her passion in the wine business, and to discover that she has a natural talent for winemaking.”