A fiery new voice joins Koos and Octavius at the tasting table

Isabella Rioja

The Gypsy Scientist with a Rebel’s Heart

Isabella Rioja is a whirlwind in a wine cellar — part maverick, part master technician. Born under the Spanish sun and raised among the gnarled old vines of Rioja, she carries Europe’s great vineyards in her passport: harvests in Bordeaux’s fabled Left Bank châteaux, fermentations in the Rhône’s rugged hillsides, and blending sessions in the cobblestoned bodegas of Priorat. She even flirted with Italian Barolo before chasing the Southern Hemisphere’s wild frontier.

Where Koos Grenache trusts gut instinct and stained hands, Isabella brings equal parts intuition and precision — a scientist with a taste for chaos. She’ll debate Octavius Pinot over phenolics and pH, then outdrink him under the table with an Amarone she “rescued” from a Venetian cellar.

Isabella is fearless in the vineyard and uncompromising in the cellar:

• Old World elegance meets New World grit — she reveres terroir but isn’t afraid to break tradition.
• Travelling winemaker — happiest with a notebook, a soil auger, and a one-way ticket to harvest.
• Fiery and sharp-witted — expect playful jabs at Koos’s “rustic Swartland methods” and Octavius’s “professorial lectures.”

She’s the bridge between worlds — the rebel who can dissect a Grand Cru classification yet drink carignan from a chipped enamel cup. Wherever Isabella goes, expect arguments, laughter, and maybe a few rulebooks thrown out the cellar door.

CV Highlights

• Apprenticed at a Second Growth Bordeaux château, learning precision blending and barrel aging.
• Worked vintages in the Northern Rhône (Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie), deepening her love for Syrah and co‑fermentation techniques.
• Spent time in Ribera del Duero and Priorat, embracing Garnacha’s wild side and Tempranillo’s structure.
• Studied Tuscan reds while consulting for an experimental winery in Bolgheri, adding Italian flair to her skill set.
• Known in winemaking circles as the “Red Gypsy” — a roaming consultant sought after for bold blends and fearless experiments.

Dynamic with Koos & Octavius

She often plays mediator between Koos’ gut‑driven chaos and Octavius’ academic obsession, bridging instinct and intellect.

Koos finds her “too polished” but secretly respects her fearless palate.

Octavius finds her brilliance infuriating: “She breaks every rule… correctly.”