2019 Miro Zin Wins
PLATINUM Medal
in the 2021 Critics Challenge Intl. Wine Competition

2019 Miro Zin Wins PLATINUM Medal in the 2021 Critics Challenge Intl. Wine Competition

2021 Critics Choice Platinum

The 2021 Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition received over 1000 wine entries that were evaluated by the judges in a blind tasting in San Diego, CA.

A total of 74 wines were designated platinum.

Miro Cellars 2019 DCV Zinfandel

Out of stock

2019 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley: Platinum; 94 points
“Spicy briary black cherry and red plum, olive skin. Really nice. Focused, great melding of oak and fruit. Dusty and fine-tannined, warm, generous, firm but warm tannin.” —Patrick Comiskey

Judges

Michael Franz Michael Franz, Chief Wine Judge
Michael Franz is Editor of the acclaimed online publication WineReviewOnline.com (1.4 million visitors/year). Michael has been covering the wine scene for more than 20 years, including a long stint as wine columnist at The Washington Post. Michael organizes the annual Wine for Oysters wine competition in Washington, D.C., and is a frequent judge at major wine competitions internationally.

Michael Cervin, Chief Spirits Judge
Michael Cervin is author of 11 books on wine, spirits, and other topics.  As a critic and journalist, his wine and spirits articles have appeared in Robb Report, Forbes, Wine & Spirits,  Vivino, The Hollywood Reporter, Fine Wine & Liquor (China), Decanter (London), Wine Enthusiast, Liquors Magazine (Netherlands), SOMM Journal, Draft, The Tasting Panel, and many other publications.

Michael Apstein is a James Beard Award-winning journalist, and columnist and wine reviewer for WineReviewOnline.com. As a freelance writer, he wrote over 300 wine columns for The Boston Globe newspaper. His writing has also appeared in a variety of U.S., Canadian, and U.K. publications, including Decanter, Decanter Premium, Quench Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Magazine, Wine and Spirits, The Wine News, and The Tasting Panel Magazine. He is a recipient of Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne Press Trophy and is a past nominee for the prestigious Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards. Dr. Apstein judges frequently at international and national wine competitions.
Wayne Belding, MS, has written about wine for over 30 years for local and national publications.  In 1990, he became the 13th American to pass the Master Sommelier Diploma examination, passing all three parts of the exam on his first attempt.  Wayne is a frequent wine reviewer, competition judge and speaker at wine events.  He is a partner at Wine Ring, the leading AI-driven personalization software for the wine and spirits industry – changing the way people discover, evaluate, buy and share wine. He is also the author of “Diving Into Wine,” a guide for wine consumers.

Patrick Comiskey holds the position of Senior Editor for Wine & Spirits Magazine and is a former columnist with WineReviewOnline.com.  He contributes regularly to the Los Angeles Times as chief wine columnist for the Food Section, and has been published in various periodicals including the San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit.  He is the author of “American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink Wine” (2016).

Michael Dunne is a freelance wine and travel writer who divides his time between Sacramento, California and San Jose del Cabo in Baja California Sur, Mexico.  For 30 years he was a staff writer with The Sacramento Bee, retiring as food editor, restaurant critic and wine columnist.  In addition to continuing to provide articles for various publications and platforms, he is a frequent judge on the wine-competition circuit.  During downtime during the Covid-19 pandemic he used his isolation to write a book with the working title “The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines That Define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi.”  He anticipates publishing within the year.

Allison Levine is owner of Please The Palate, a marketing and event planning agency for the wine and spirits industry. She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications, as well as wine-and-spirits certifications from Wine & Spirits Education Trust, North American Sommelier Association (Italian wine specialist), and BarSmarts Wired. She contributes regularly to the Napa Valley Register, Alcohol Professor, Monarch.wine, California Winery Advisor, and Beverage Industry News. Allison hosts the podcast WineSoundtrack USA, reviews wines in one-minute videos for the Wine Weirdos and hosts a weekly wine chat on Crush On This.

Rebecca Murphy was the first female wine steward in Texas and went on to found and produce The Dallas Morning News and TexSom wine competitions.  As a wine writer, she has contributed a weekly feature to The Dallas Morning News for many years, is a regular contributor to WineReviewOnline.com, and has written for Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines.  Rebecca also furnished entries for The Oxford Companion to Wine and the sixth edition.

Laura Ness’s wine obsession started with a visit to France shortly after college and eventually led her from high-tech communications in Silicon Valley to the wine industry.  She is the wine columnist and regular contributor to Edible: Monterey, Wine Industry Advisor, Spirited and Los Gatos magazines, as well as the San Jose Mercury News and The Livermore Independent.  She judges wine competitions throughout California and has a corkscrew in every purse.

Mike Stepanovich has been writing about wine since 1985. His work has appeared in national and international publications such as the International Wine Review, Wine News, and Wine Business Monthly.  His wine column, “Life is a Cabernet,” ran for 34 years.  Currently living in Las Vegas, Mike is active on the judging circuit at such venues as the American Wine Competition, San Diego International Wine Competition, Florida International Wine Competition, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, San Francisco International Wine Competition, Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Central Coast Wine Competition, and Long Beach Grand Cru.  An avid wine collector, he served as managing director of the Bakersfield Wine Society for more than 20 years and teaches wine history, wine appreciation, and wine-and-food-pairing.

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition

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2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and...

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90 Points and GOLD:
2019 Cuvée Sasha

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Gold Medal and 90 Points to Miro's 2019 Cuvée SashaThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

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94 Points and Double Gold:
2019 Petite Sirah

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro's 2019 Petite SirahThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

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2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards

Sunset International Wine Competition medal image
2019 Miro Cellars Cuvee Sasha Grenache Syrah Blend

Out of stock

Santa Rosa, Calif., June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and Best of Show to a standout blend of Grenache (85%) and Syrah (15%) from Mendocino made by winemaker Miro Tcholakov of Miro Cellars and Trentadue Winery. At $26, this accessible wine exemplifies why blends are so popular with wine consumers. It may prove the perfect Sunset backyard getaway wine, pairing well with everything that brings joy.

To win Best Red of Show, the Miro Cellars Grenache-Syrah Cuvée had to best a field of 14 other reds in the Red Sweepstakes round, including a Trentadue Sangiovese, also made by Tcholakov. In the first round of voting, the Cuvée Sasha had stiff competition from the 2018 Domaine Carneros Estate Pinot Noir with 15 votes, followed by the 2017 Garré Cabernet Franc from Livermore and the 2017 Rapp Ranch Cutter’s Reserve Bordeaux style blend from Napa, both of which earned 11 votes. The Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha prevailed in final voting, with 18 votes, while the Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir received 8.

In the final sweepstakes round for Best Of Show, the Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha won handily over the Best White, Best Rosé, and Best Dessert contenders in a landslide, with 20 votes out of a possible 26. The Rosé scored 3, the Sauv Blanc 2 and the Late Harvest Gewürztraminer, 1.

Debra Del Fiorentino, President of Wine Competitions Production & Management (WCP&M), who owns and operates the Sunset International Wine Competition, said, “Once again, we are grateful for the support of the local county Health Department in allowing us to safely run this competition for the past two years. We are also very appreciative of all the wineries that entered wine from all over the globe. This year, there were 52 new wineries participating. We noticed an uptick in entries in both the rosé and unoaked Chardonnay categories, as well as in blends of all kinds.  The judges had some very difficult decisions to make when faced with those final 33 entries!”

  • Best of Show and Best of Show Red: 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha, (Grenache/Syrah), Chevalier Vineyard, Mendocino, $25, 97pts

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition

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2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and...

read more

90 Points and GOLD:
2019 Cuvée Sasha

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Gold Medal and 90 Points to Miro's 2019 Cuvée SashaThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

94 Points and Double Gold:
2019 Petite Sirah

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro's 2019 Petite SirahThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

90 Points and GOLD:
2019 Cuvée Sasha

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Gold Medal and 90 Points to Miro’s 2019 Cuvée Sasha

Orange County Wine Society Logo
2019 Miro Cellars Cuvee Sasha Grenache Syrah Blend
The 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic caused the 2020 competition to be cancelled.

The OC Fair’s competition is the largest and most comprehensive judging of California wines in the world. The competition attempts to judge every grape wine made in California that is commercially available in Orange County. All wines were judged by professional winemakers and/or winery principals.

Out of stock

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition

read more

2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and...

read more

90 Points and GOLD:
2019 Cuvée Sasha

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Gold Medal and 90 Points to Miro's 2019 Cuvée SashaThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

94 Points and Double Gold:
2019 Petite Sirah

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro's 2019 Petite SirahThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

94 Points and Double Gold:
2019 Petite Sirah

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro’s 2019 Petite Sirah
Orange County Wine Society Logo
2019 Miro Cellars Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah
The 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic caused the 2020 competition to be cancelled.

The OC Fair’s competition is the largest and most comprehensive judging of California wines in the world. The competition attempts to judge every grape wine made in California that is commercially available in Orange County. All wines were judged by professional winemakers and/or winery principals.

Out of stock

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition

read more

2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and...

read more

90 Points and GOLD:
2019 Cuvée Sasha

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Gold Medal and 90 Points to Miro's 2019 Cuvée SashaThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

94 Points and Double Gold:
2019 Petite Sirah

2021 Orange County Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro's 2019 Petite SirahThe 45th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held June 5th and 6th, 2021. Competition organizers, volunteers, and judges were thrilled to return after the pandemic...

read more

2019 Cuvée Sasha: GOLD, Best of Class and 98 Points

2021 North Coast Wine Challenge:
GOLD, Best of Class and 98 Points for 2019 Cuvée Sasha

The little logo for the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge
2019 Miro Cellars Cuvee Sasha Grenache Syrah Blend

Out of stock

98 Points, Top Value Wine

“Beautiful, sweet & sour cherry, very balanced, loads of baking spices, a WOW wine, stand up and say hello, mocha dust”

“Gorgeous extraction … big, ripe and juicy; sweet and creamy.”

Here are the judges who took part in the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge:

  • Daryl Groom: Chief judge and owner/winemaker, Groom Wines, Healdsburg
  • Chelsea Barrett: Winemaker, Matterra Cunat Family Vineyards in Napa. She launched Aviatrix of Napa with her mom, winemaker Heidi Barrett, and sister Remi Barrett, Calistoga.
  • Heidi Barrett: Winemaker for Barrett & Barrett Wines, Calistoga
  • Tim Bell: Winemaker, Dry Creek Vineyards, Healdsburg
  • Dan Berger: Master sommelier and wine journalist, Santa Rosa
  • Scot Covington: Winemaker for Trione Vineyards and Winery, Geyserville
  • Traci Dutton: Sommelier, wine and beverage judge and manager of the Public Wine and Beverage Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa County
  • Ziggy Eschliman: Radio and TV personality and wine blogger, Sonoma County
  • Nick Goldschmidt: Winemaker and consultant, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Healdsburg
  • Bill Hayes: Wine category manager, BevMo!, U.S. West Coast
  • Barry Herbst: Wine director, Bottle Barn Liquors, Santa Rosa
  • Kady Kahale: Head of wine buying, Naked Wines US; wine consultant and winemaker, Napa
  • Jesse Katz: Winemaker, Aperture and Devil Proof Vineyards, Healdsburg
  • Ellen Landis: Certified sommelier, certified wine specialist and wine educator, Windsor
  • Jon McCarthy: Certified sommelier, wine and beverage director for The Matheson, Healdsburg
  • Peg Melnik: Wine critic, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa
  • Chris Munsell: Director of winemaking, E&J Gallo Winery, Sonoma County
  • Linda Murphy: Contributing writer, Sonoma Magazine and The Press Democrat, Healdsburg
  • Laura Ness: Wine journalist, columnist and judge, Bay Area
  • Erik Olsen: COO, Fetzer Vineyards, Hopland
  • Alexandria Sarovich: Sommelier at the three-Michelin-star Single Thread Farm, Restaurant & Inn, Healdsburg
  • Christopher Sawyer: Wine writer and “Sommelier to the Stars,” Sonoma
  • Mick Schroeter: Director of winemaking, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Windsor
  • Elizabeth “Liz” Thach: Master of wine, professor of wine, professor of management, author
  • Greg Urimi: Production manager, Paul Hobbs Wines, Sebastopol
  • Larry Van Aalst: Radio host of “The Sonoma Wine Report,” CRN Digital Talk Radio, Santa Rosa
  • Wilfred Wong: Chief storyteller, wine.com, San Francisco
  • Debbie Zachareas: Wine expert and lecturer, Napa County

2020 Zinfandel:
Double GOLD, 96 Points

2023 North Coast Wine Challenge:DOUBLE GOLD, 96 Points for 2020 Alexander Valley Zinfandel"Purity of fruit, zesty, gutsy, feisty but polite." Here are the judges who took part in the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge: Daryl Groom: Chief judge and...

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2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points

2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition

read more

2019 Cuvée Sasha:
BEST OF SHOW
2021 Sunset International

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah in the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 21, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and...

read more

2018 Cuvée Sasha: Double Gold and Best of Class

2020 East Meets West Coast Wine Competition: Double Gold and Best of Class for 2018 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha

Out of stock

The West Coast took top honors for Best Red, Best Dessert, Best Rosé and Best of Show at this year’s East Meets West Wine Competition. This is a joint competition that pits the best of the East Coast against the best of the West. This year, over 950 wines from both coasts competed for Best of Class honors in many categories. 

Debra Del Fiorentino, Founder and President of Wine Competitions Management & Production, was pleased with this year’s competition. Said Del Fiorentino, “I was particularly impressed with the high scores for the Best of Class winning wines, plus there were many more Double Golds than in the past, reflecting the overall quality of the entries. We can celebrate the brilliant winemaking exhibited from coast to coast in this unique competition, and especially from the Midwest, which showed really well this year. Our country may be divided, but we can sure unite over one important thing common to nearly every state in our union: great wine!”

Winners will be listed on winecompetitions.com. An overview article will also appear online at www.spiritedbiz.com. They will also be featured in a future issue of award-winning Spirited magazine, a nationally distributed adult beverage trade publication.

2019 Cuvée Sasha: GOLD, Best of Class and 98 Points

2021 North Coast Wine Challenge:GOLD, Best of Class and 98 Points for 2019 Cuvée Sasha98 Points, Top Value Wine "Beautiful, sweet & sour cherry, very balanced, loads of baking spices, a WOW wine, stand up and say hello, mocha dust" “Gorgeous extraction … big, ripe...

read more

2018 Cuvée Sasha: Double Gold and Best of Class

2020 East Meets West Coast Wine Competition: Double Gold and Best of Class for 2018 Miro Cellars Cuvée SashaThe West Coast took top honors for Best Red, Best Dessert, Best Rosé and Best of Show at this year’s East Meets West Wine Competition. This is a joint...

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2020 San Francisco Chronicle Gold for 2018 Cuvée Sasha

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest competition of American WinesCloverdale, CA, January 10, 2020 – There were over sixty-five judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluating nearly 6,700 wines from over 1,000 wineries for...

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Gold Medal: 2017 Reserve Pine Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Miro Cellars Reserve Pine Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Wins Gold Medal at Dan Berger International Wine Competition 2019 ​The Competition: After 34 years of conducting one of the nation’s most respected wine competitions, wine columnist/ journalist Dan...

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Double Gold: 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 New Orleans International Wine Competition Awards Double Gold Medal to Miro's 2017 Reserve Pine Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon The New Orleans International Wine Competition, in its second year in 2019, set a very high standard last year for evaluation and reward...

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Gold in New Orleans: 2017 Old Vines Zinfandel

2019 New Orleans International Wine Competition: Gold Medal for 2017 Miro Cellars Zinfandel Hemar Vineyard The New Orleans International Wine Competition, in its second year in 2019, set a very high standard last year for evaluation and reward for wines from around...

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2017 Pinot Noir Wins Harvest Challenge Gold

2019 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition: Gold Medal for 2017 Miro Cellars Pinot Noir Hogan’s Run VineyardAt the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines...

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2018 Sasha: Double Gold & Best of Class

2019 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition: Double Gold and Best of Class for Cuvée Sasha At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen...

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