i. Biography
Head Winemaker and Technical Director at Bodegas Beronia in Ollauri, Spain, is the title that defines Matías Calleja’s work through 2024. He shaped Beronia’s wines over decades, most visibly through Reserva and Gran Reserva bottlings and through a barrel idea that became central to the house style.
The Honours
Calleja’s highest stated title was Head Winemaker and Technical Director at Bodegas Beronia, a role tied to the Ollauri producer through 2024. The achievement rests less on ceremony than on authorship: he is known for shaping the Beronia house style over decades, giving technical direction to wines closely associated with Reserva and Gran Reserva. The work carries a clear signature. At Beronia, Calleja pioneered mixed-oak barrels made with American oak staves and French oak ends. A mixed oak barrel is a single barrel built to combine the qualities of both woods, and his use of that format helped shape the brand’s style.
The Craft
Fruit came first for Calleja. He was adamant that oak must be secondary, a principle that sharpened the importance of barrel choice rather than making wood the point of the wine. His Beronia style combined tradition and innovation, particularly through experimentation in oak ageing. The focus was not simply American oak or French oak, but the possibilities created by American oak, French oak, and mixed oak in combination. “We are always experimenting with small batches of wine to see if we can improve and adapt the style, tastes and flavors of our wines.” That sentence gives the method its scale: trial, batch, adjustment, continuity. The mixed barrel began as a practical question posed to a cooper. “When we asked the cooper to make a barrel with two different kinds of wood, he said we were mad.” The answer became one of Calleja’s defining technical moves at Beronia: American oak staves, French oak ends, one vessel designed to bring depth while preserving the Beronia style. For Calleja, the reason was direct. “It respects the fruit better.” His belief was that combinations of American oak, French oak, and mixed oak could bring depth to the wines without overwhelming their core. That balance also connects to the way his legacy at Beronia is described: innovation joined to a sustainable approach. The emphasis is precise rather than decorative—experiment where the wine benefits, keep the fruit in command, and let oak serve the style rather than replace it.
The Career
Calleja’s career is identified with Beronia in Ollauri, Spain, where he served as Head Winemaker and Technical Director through 2024. Over decades, the role made him closely associated with the producer’s Reserva and Gran Reserva wines. Those categories became the clearest public expression of his style: traditional in its grounding, innovative in its handling of oak, and disciplined in its insistence that fruit remain primary. The most concrete technical inheritance is the mixed-oak barrel. By pioneering its use at Beronia, Calleja gave the producer a tool for combining the qualities of American and French oak inside a single barrel, and used that tool to help define the taste of the brand.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Matías
What is Matías Calleja's most notable recognition?
His most notable recognition is his title as Head Winemaker and Technical Director at Bodegas Beronia in Ollauri, Spain, through 2024.
What is Matías Calleja known for?
He is known for shaping Beronia’s house style over decades, especially through Reserva and Gran Reserva wines and mixed-oak barrels made with American oak staves and French oak ends.
