Iola Wines FAQ

What is a Vignernonne?

The French word for a woman who cultivates the vine and makes wine.

How do you define “natural”?

“Natural” is a term that gets wobbly pretty quickly, so let’s get after it. For Iola, a naturally made wine is a wine made with minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar. Our producers use long-proven methods that basically come down to extreme patience, attentiveness, hands-off care, and a little innovation.  Read about our story.

Why don’t you exclude producers who aren’t certified organic?

Organic and Biodynanic certification requires producers to go through an expensive and bureaucratic multi-year certification process, which can be totally impractical for the small, non-corporate wine makers we gravitate toward.

Aren’t naturally made wines … funky?
Not ours. Our wines are powerful, elegant, complex and massively expressive, with consistency from bottle to bottle. Finesse – not funk – is our thing.
Do you have a wine club?

We do. In fact, the Iola Wine Society has three options: Red wines only, Red + White + Rose, or Champagne.  Click here to learn more.

I don’t know French and Italian wines. Can Iola help me know which ones I’d like?

Iola loves to introduce people to their new favorite wines. Everyone’s palate and preferences are different, so it starts with being willing to experiment to discover what you love.

Why focus only on women winemakers?

Because to do what they’re doing, they have to be 10x better than men and their wines reflect it. On top of liking their integrity, grit and care, their wines are just incredibly expressive thanks to their patient, minimal intervention approach.

Do women know how to make bold wines?

Absolutely. Our producers are dedicated to ushering their grapes into the fully expressive wines they are meant to be.

What is a Viticultrice?

The French and Italian word for a woman who cultivates the vine and makes wine.

Are your wines certified Organic or Biodynamic?

Yes! Many of our wines are certified organic and biodynamic in the European Union, but we don’t exclude producers who aren’t. Complicated legal requirements in the US make it difficult for us to include EU organic certifications on wine labels so we give you all the details about each wine on our website.

How can I know a bottle is truly low-intervention?
Conducting onsite visits with each producer is a big part of what Iola does, so that we have absolute confidence that each bottle we bring you has been produced by women who share our definition of what it means to make sustainable, low-intervention wines.
If I like bold Cabs, will I like natural wines?

Yes. And possibly more.

Who is Iola?

I wish I could open up a bottle and sit with you to tell you about Iola. She was my maternal grandmother and a huge influence in my life. See here for a few pictures and a little bit more.

What’s the deal with ‘Native Grapes’?
Wine is above all about a sense of place. Native grapes are about going to the source. We love to go to places where grapes first appeared on our planet to experience how a grape expresses the terroir of its birthplace.
Are wines made by women all that different?

Great wines are great wines, so you may or may not taste it.

Why are many of Iola’s wines over $30?

Small, privately owned vineyards can’t compete on price with high-volume, commercially made wines. The way we see it, with more commercial wines, a $30 bottle includes the price of many things. But with small producers, you are getting every penny of what you paid for.