ENCINITAS: Olivenhain family sows together, grows together

Matt Battiata and family produce their own wines

By KIRBY FAIRFAX - For the North County Times | Wednesday, December 31, 2008 2:28 PM PST ∞

ENCINITAS ---- Ever wonder whether there's a real person behind the label of some product you find yourself consuming?

Well, in the case of Battiata Vineyards and Wines, you may rest assured there is. Actually, there are several, though they range from the ages of 2 to 9 and don't personally consume the products that bear their names.

The children of Olivenhain residents Mike and Amy Battiata do not actually crush the ripe fruit with their bare feet, but are nonetheless an integral part of the family enterprise: They help pick the grapes, and each contributes his or her identity to one of the varietals aging gently in the wine cave in their very own backyard.

Therefore, Maddie's Reserve ---- a zinfandel ---- is named for daughter Madeline, while the Syrah and Petite Syrah are dubbed, respectively, Sophie's Reserve and Mia's Reserve. Son Salvatore is the inspiration for Sal's Reserve, a cabernet sauvignon. The Battiata line also includes a Malbec, a wine native to Argentina, which they have dubbed La Boca: a neighborhood in that nation's capital city, Buenos Aires, which is home to several of their relatives.

A fifth child, who is due soon, will no doubt acquire a type of wine with which his or her yet-to-be determined name will be associated upon arrival.

Matt Battiata said winemaking has always been a family affair.

"I grew up on the East Coast where, in the Italian tradition, our family made wine," he said. "When I moved out here, I wanted to continue that tradition. So, when I built my house here three and half years ago, I made sure it had room for a vineyard."

The family's three-acre property now has about 400 grapevines.

"I really enjoy it," Battiata said about the winemaking process. "Friends come and help and everyone gets into the act."

Battiata, a Realtor by profession, cheerfully passes out bottles of his libations to friends and clients, and takes it to fairs to be judged. He won gold, silver and bronze medals at recent Orange County and California State Fair wine competitions.

What he does not do with his homemade beverage is charge for it. A member of the San Diego Amateur Winemaking Society, he said he keeps intending to jump through the hoops necessary to receive status as a commercially bonded facility, but "somehow I never do. It’s difficult to make money selling wine, so I prefer to give it away ---- and drink it."

Though Battiata may not get paid for his product, he knows as much about wine.

"You get the best fruit from areas where it gets really cold at night, because grapes like changes in temperature," Battiata said.

"The finest wines in California generally come from vineyards in the northern part of the state, such as Sonoma and the Napa Valley, but our grapes are very decent," he added. "They grow like crazy, because we are inland enough so it gets quite hot."

Battiata said that he uses no pesticides and that a drip irrigation system keeps the crops adequately irrigated.

The particular type of grape he grows is the dark-skinned syrah, Battiata said. He added that when the words "estate grown" appear on the label of a bottle of wine, they refer to fruit that is produced on the premises.

"I like the creative aspects of winemaking," Battiata said, such as experimenting with techniques and equipment.

For example, the type of barrels used for storage ---- his choice is oak ---- and the addition of skins for extra tannins, impart specific types of color and flavors.

"It's part science, part art," he said.