MV Winery

My friend and I went to this winery on a whim. It was near another winery recommended by a friend that was just so-​so. We are very familiar with Amador County wineries, but wanted to spend a day meandering up the hills a bit further. How glad we were that we stumbled (somewhat literally, it was our last stop for the day) into MV. Family owned and very friendly. We liked everything we tasted which is a selling point in and of itself, but we really liked the Syrah. Then they let us try an Italin varietal we had never heard of, Lagrien, and we were blown away. John Miller the winemaker signed the bottles for us too. We will be sharing it with our wine club next time we meet. Always fun to find a rare varietal to try (only 5 wineries in the US grow it). An outstanding end to our day of winery hopping and certainly the highlight for the Fairplay appellation.

My favorite winery in this area, MV (Miller Vineyards) makes some of the best wine in the Fairplay AVA. And I don’t say that lightly. I’ve met two Napa Valley «big hitters» at the tasting room expounding the virtues of MV wines. One of them told me «It’s always worth the trip up here to get their wine, plus we love the area.»
Like many wineries in the area MV is run by the family/​owners John, Cindy and daughter Kristi. Also, like many of the wineries in the area they are very relaxed and easily share advice and knowledge for those of us that are not all that skilled in the art of wine tasting or wine making.
The owners live on-​site so they can monitor the grapes carefully in order to capture the best combination of «sugars, acids and complex characteristics» of each varietal at harvest time. I find that their collective knowledge of their grapes and wine making is worth the visit alone and we always leave much more knowledgeable than when we arrived.
The whites and Rose’ are great and the reds we tasted were simply awesome! Deep and complex, the red wines are truly sipping wines to be savored and appreciated slowly. Worth every penny and a much better bargain than the $ 80 to $ 120 Napa reds.
If you think this is a biased review, well it is. We’ve never had a bad time or wine here. MV is a MUST (pun intended) if you’re in the area… just don’t run in and out too fast, relax and enjoy.

Thank you John Miller for a very enjoyable wine tasting. He took the time to chat with us and
shared some of his knowledge of wines. His wines are big and bold and that’s why we came to taste. His winery is small and became crowded very quickly. We never felt rushed and they made sure everyone there received the attention they deserve.
I am a popcorn fanatic and it was a nice treat to be able to serve myself from their popcorn maker. I have had many nights of popcorn and wine… fun to be able to enjoy it at a wine tasting. We will definitely be back to taste again.

This our favorite winery! My husband and I have been members for a very long time and we love the owners, John and Cindy! They always treat us like family and make us feel so special when we come to taste and pick up shipments. The wine is by far the best in the region and continues to get better and better!

My friend and I visited this delightful winery tasting room Jan 25, 2015 and were blown away by the fabulous husband and wife team (John and Cindy Miller) who were so awesome and helpful. We were there for at least an hour and tried all the wines. We ended up buying several bottles. It is a small room, so I do not recommend going when it is going to be busy. You’ll be much happier going at a slow time and being able to enjoy the attention you will get. Bottles run around $ 40 on average, which will not be in everyone’s price range, but the wines are all barreled in new oak, which is the reason. The quality of the wine is indeed worth the money in my opinion. Probably more.

The staff and owners are super friendly. I think MV is one of the better wineries in the Fairplay area. The prices totally reflect the quality of the wines. Good wine is not cheap to make. If you can’t afford it, go somewhere else. The Malbec as delicious. We enjoyed our experience. We will return.

We have been going to the Fair Play area for 10 years and have found many great wines. This one was a discovery this weekend in spite of the rain! Absolutely excellent wines and one must have a palate for the full body wine experience! We’ll be back!

Having been a member of this phenomenal winery for over 3 years it is about time I gave a review. The Sierra Foothills in Amador County are known for producing great varietals such as Malbec, Barbera, Zinfandel, etc. I can honestly say that out of all of the wineries we have visited, and there has been quite a few, MV absolutely blows everybody, in my opinion, right out of the water. I say this being a fan of big bold juicy reds. My wife and I live in Walnut Creek which is about 2 hours away and worth every minute of the drive to come up and visit John and Cindy Miller and taste some of the best wines in the area. What really amazes me is the fact that John is a self-​taught winemaker.
If you plan on being anywhere in the area, and it is big beautiful part of California that is certainly worth visiting, then do you and your palate a favor and stop by. You will be greeted by a lovely couple that takes great pride in providing some of the finest wines you will ever taste.

Wines are really good and they are always friendly.

This is a small vineyard owned and managed by John Miller.
The tasting room is quite small, however the wines here are big.
Definitely some of the best wine in the whole area.
Cab, Syrah, Zin, and the Petite Syrah are all wonderful wines.
The craftsmanship of the wine is first rate. If you are interested in quality wine and don’t need all the pretty polish of a tasting room.
I would put this little winery on your short list of places to visit in the Fairplay\Amador area.
Salute
Stephen P.

MV produces excellent big red wines. Tasting room is small and cozy and wine maker seems to always be the pourer, which is a nice added feature. I love the Malbec, Nebiollo and the Zin. A must stop for every big red wine lover!

I came here with my Dad. We normally stick to the same two and decided to branch out a little. This was a smaller establishment, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but they had popcorn in the corner which overwhelmed the room. (I also used to work in a movie theater, so I’m overly sensitive to popcorn smell). The portions were decent, it was free to taste, but the quality of the wine did not match the price tag. They also pushed a chardonnay, even though we said we normally don’t like chardonnay.

First time visiting this new wine region in the Sierra foothills of California. I am from the Napa Valley so have tasted the best wines in the world. I have to say that MV’s 2009 Petite Syrah is the best Petite Syrah I have EVER tasted! All of the wines were exceptional as well. We loved that the owners actually work the tasting room so you really get to know the personality that is expressed in the wines. I admit that owner/​winemaker John Miller and I like the same kind of full, layered, rich and luscious reds so I am a big fan! Keep making real wines, John!!! Look out Napa Valley!

The wine is good but that’s about it. We went to a members only event and we’re treated to two extremely small pieces of tri-​tip. My wife tried to go back for seconds and was told she was not allowed to. They made my wife feel so small for even asking for seconds. So for our $ 100 wine purchase we were greeted with rudeness, only received a small roll and two very small pieces of tri-​tip, and had to purchase all additional wine to drink at the event. What a way to say thank you to your members. By the way we canceled our membership the next day. MV does not understand the Fairplay way.

We first visited this winery several years ago when it was first established. We liked the quaint feeling, friendliness and welcoming attitude of the owner. For this we wished him well. We enjoyed his wine and spoke well of his winery to our friends. His wines were in the $ 20 range and reasonable. However, over the years we have seen an unfortunate change in the owner’s attitude to the point after our most recent visit we can no longer promote or support this winery. The owner’s attitude changed from welcoming and appreciative to selfish and smug. Our entire visit consisted of him telling us how a news article described the quality of his wines, such as the Petite Sirah. That part was fine, however, he continued to brag about because of the positive article, he raised that bottle to $ 100. Furthermore, his bragging continued about how another reporter recently visited his winery to do a positive write up, so he planned to increase his prices even more. He urged us to buy now before the article breaks, because he WILL raise the prices once people read the article. He teased about raising the Petite Sirah to $ 1000 when stock becomes low. What we learned was that the cost to make his wine has not changed, but the opportunity to stick it to the customer has. In the end, for the first time, we left without buying, and will probably not return. Yes, his wines are good and he displays his medals; but then, you can find medal winning wines at most wineries in the area, so I recommend you visit OTHER wineries, taste, and pick an equally good wine without being gouged for price. There are a lot of very nice wineries in the area.

Big fan of MV!!!
I went wine tasting with friends for my birthday last weekend and our group paid this quaint little spot a visit. A first time for me, I was very impressed by MV and their wines. The Nebbiolo (Nebby!) was pretty tasty, but their velvety Petite Syrah has a special place in my wine-​lovin’ heart. I asked the lady serving us for her name and I feel awful that I cannot remember it now, because she was really sweet and outgoing. I can’t remember the name of a regular who was there either, but he really knew MV’s wines and was awesome in educating me on them!
Despite the somewhat chilly weather, we busted out our makeshift picnic of meats, cheese, and crackers on their ‘porch’. I’ll definitely be back and I know my friends will to!