Miro Cellars owner and winemaer Miro Tcholakov joins Steve Jaxon and Dan Berger on California Wine Country today. Miro was born and raised in northern Bulgaria. His grandfather made the family supply of wine and Miro was with him making wine since he was six years old. He came to the US in June of 1990, and has been making wine since then, having worked for Dry Creek Vineyards for about nine years then he moved to Trentadue Wines in 1999, and he is still there. He started Miro Cellars in 2001. Miro is a frequent guest on California Wine Country, his last appearance was this show of August 17, 2022.

Geyserville, where Trentadue is located, was not a place that was recognized much for wine. As the industry got more oriented to varietal wines instead of blended wines, Trentadue and its region got more recognition.

Miro Cellars is Miro’s personal project. When he had people offering to invest in his company, his wife advised him to keep it simple and he is still having fun, without debt.

Bulgarian Wine dot com is a site that brings Bulgarian wines to retail buyers in the US. Miro acquired it and his wife runs that part of the business.

Eastern Europe has lots of grape vines planted, Dan mentions Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. In 1987 Bulgaria had more plantings of Cabernet and Merlot than California. In 1990 Dan visited Slovenia for an international competition there. The region around Maribor has a lot of wine production and the wines are really good. After Bulgaria joined the European Union, the EU made a lot of investment into the wine business.

They are tasting the first Chardonnay that Miro has ever made, a 2022. His first white wine was an Italian varietal called Ribolla Gialla, which is delicious but unknown so people didn’t buy it. It won Best of Class last year at Sonoma County Harvest Fest. He only made 10 barrels. Dan describes it as having strong tropical fruit and suggests it could accompany rich seafoods.

They are tasting a Trentadue wine called La Storia. This one is a Super Tuscan style, made with Sangiovese blended with Merlot and Montepulciano. It is an unusual blend that is listed on the label. 47% Sangiovese, 31% Merlot and 22% Montepulciano. Miro used a little Merlot to soften the two Italian varietals. It takes a winemaker willing to take risks, to produce a wine like this.