Recently, I was lucky to have the chance to sit down and talk to Winemaker Miro from Trentadue Winery. Trentadue Winery is one of my TOP Geyserville wineries. For more of my favorite wineries in Geyserville that you can support, read more below:
Trentadue offers up a truly special winery experience, located in Geyserville (Sonoma County) it’s just ten minutes north of Healdsburg. I recently wrote all about the fabulous Trentadue Winery, you can read that below!
The Fabulous Geyserville Trentadue Winery
This family-owned winery is known for its hospitality, beautiful views, and most importantly, its top-notch wines! For more family-owned wineries in Sonoma County, you can read more on the blog!
Sonoma Family-Owned Wineries To Get To Know
One of my favorite things to do is to interview winemakers and learn about their creative process, background, and journey to where they are today. Follow along below to see My Interview with Winemaker Miro.
Where are you from?
I’m from Bulgaria originally.
How long have you worked at the winery?
My first harvest at Trentadue was 1999. Which means, that 2023 would be my 25th harvest here and my 24th year working for the Trentadue Family.
How did you get started in the wine industry? Who inspires or inspired you to pursue
this career?
Going back to my early childhood I remember clearly the first time I discovered an early
ripening grapes in my grandparents vineyard and how I checked them everyday in anticipation
of the best time to pick them. Winemaking was part of our lives and cherished time growing up
and as a result of these events, my grandfather was my inspiration. Originally, I was planning to go to medical school but the plans changed and I went to Agronomy Engineering instead. As a result, I ended up studying Horticulture specializing in Viticulture. In 1990, I won a place in an exchange program in the US and that is how I started my career. My first job was as an intern at Dry Creek Vineyards followed by Cellar Master and Assistant Winemaker positions and 9 years later I took the winemaking job at
Trentadue.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the winemaking process?
Patience and attention to details is perhaps the most important, as well as taking that
extra step needed without excuses to make the best wine possible. As time and vintages
go by, I’ve come to the realization that making wine can be very easy and also extremely
hard at the same time if your goal is perfection. Learning never stops. Every vintage no
matter how familiar it may look, is very different and unique compared to the previous.
Science definitely has its place in winemaking but nothing can replace experience and
the so called”gut feeling” is the best solution most of the time.
What’s a popular tasting experience?
Our new Flatbread and Trentadue Wines tasting has been very popular. It’s $40 per person and available on TOCK. Additionally, we also offer a Gondola Tour of our vineyards followed by a seated tasting which is very fun during the summer and has been a huge hit!
Do you remember the first time you fell in love with wine? Tell us about it.
I do not recall a single moment of falling in love with wine. Being that it was more like an
accumulation of simple but delicious meals, celebrations with the family, camping with
friends, birthday parties etc. The wine glass was omnipresent, never put on a pedestal or
being an exception or glorified-just part of the meals and always delicious.
What type of wine do you specialize in? Cabernet, Chardonnay, etc.
Often we joke here that we specialize in all wines or we specialize in good wines! I make
many different wines from about eight different varieties and a few blends. Historically
Trentadue is known for Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and I added to that Sangiovese,
Montepulciano and a “Super Tuscan” style blend as well. However, our Merlot and Cab are
getting equally high scores and recognition.
What makes your wine unique?
What makes any wine unique is first the terroir and second or equally important- the
winemaker who makes the wines.
That has been tested many times-if all is equal the winemaker has the most important
role of succeeding or failing. I respect the fruit and all that comes with making the best
wine. Equipment has its place but ultimately the main role in the play is the grapes,
yeast, barrels and the winemaker as the director. I push the grapes to their best and take
all they have to offer. I am a firm believer that the best wines are mostly made in the
vineyard. I great winemaker can make a decent wine from mediocre grapes but never a
great wine. The other way around is also true-a mediocre winemaker can ruin great
grapes and fail at making great wine from them. Trentadue wines are very consistent in
quality and always have the Estate Vineyard distinction-they are concentrated, focused
and complex, undeniably new world style but with old world touch of sophistication.
Describe your winemaking philosophy or approach.
As I mentioned above – I respect the fruit by preserving as much as possible of the
varietal distinction by choosing the proper time of harvesting, proper yeast (if not not
uninoculated fermentation), temperature, in general the proper winemaking protocol,
barrels and aging time. As a result, that changes accordingly with every vintage which means, I do not make “safe” and boring wines even knowing that often there is a risk involved. We are a small
winery and we do not make standard wines.
What do you love about winemaking?
I love the seasonality and the lack of monotony. There is alway something new and
challenging working at a small family winery. I wear many hats and I truly enjoy that. I
can never be chained to a desk. I love the excitement that comes with harvest. The
anticipation, the smell in the air, the rush of adrenaline with the first load of grapes, etc.
I love the smell of fermenting grapes and the smell of brand new oak barrels. Additionally I love
tasting my wines with people who share the love and excitement for wine. I love the fact
that all that hard work that we do brings joy and happiness to people’s lives. We make
and sell lifestyle.
Do you have any winery traditions with your team?
We have a few, usually involving food. One that comes to mind is that every time we
make a new batch of Port we spill some of the High Proof Alcohol on the ground and
light it on fire and do a silly dance around it in honor of the “Spiritus Vini”.
How does your team help you as a winemaker?
Overall, the team is very important for overall success because it’s a small team of seasoned men
with many years of combined experience and a lot of trust between us. That makes the
hard work easier and more enjoyable.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your winery?
That Trentadue makes world class wines, earning consistently high scores and that it is
family owned and a great place to spend time with friends and family. We have been
around quietly for many decades and will be hopefully for many more. We are down to
earth and unpretentious and we love to entertain.
What do you think?