Wins Silver at Sonoma County Grand Harvest Challenge 2016 and Bronze at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
2015 Chardonnay takes Gold/Best of Class/Best of Mendocino County at Grand Harvest Challenge and Silver at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
REDWOOD VALLEY, Calif. – Mia Bea Wines is proud to introduce its second varietal – a petite sirah – joining its gold medal-winning chardonnay.
Mia Bea brings its vibrant history, strong tradition and the rich terroir of Redwood Valley in Mendocino County to the unique varietal of petite sirah. A small family vineyard, Mia Bea previously focused on chardonnay, winning gold with their inaugural release at the Grand Harvest Challenge Wine Competition in 2015 and again in 2016. In total, Mia Bea won six medals for the six competitions they entered with their inaugural 2014 chardonnay. The chardonnay also recently won silver at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (unoaked estate designation). The 2015 petite sirah is also gaining acclaim with its release and has won silver at the 2016 Grand Harvest Challenge Wine Competition and bronze at the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (estate grown certified organic fruit designation).
“We chose petite sirah because it’s a fantastic grape that grows well in Mendocino County,” said Pete Barra, owner of Mia Bea Wines.
Petite sirah is a versatile, full-bodied wine that pairs well with hearty foods such as Italian cuisine, red meats, barbecue and chocolate. Petite sirah’s roots date back to the mid-1800s in France, and is known for its deep color and full-bodied flavors of blueberry, chocolate, plum and black pepper. Despite its popularity, it is a comparatively rare grape, with less than 10,000 acres planted worldwide.
Mia Bea’s petite sirah is organically grown and carefully harvested by hand. While vintner Pete Barra has been growing grapes for more than 60 years, he feels that “it’s the winemaker who has the tough job.” On the contrary, winemaker Chris Nelson’s philosophy is that “great wines are born in the vineyard.” The two professionals share a great mutual respect for each other, which results in a quality final product.
Mia Bea’s small lot wines are available from vendors and restaurants in the Mendocino County, Truckee-Tahoe basin and Fresno regions and continues to expand. A complete list of locations can be found on the website at MiaBeaWines.com.
About Mia Bea Wines
Mia Bea, by Barra Family Vineyards, began as a love story more than 60 years ago. Pete, the son of an immigrant Italian farmer, and Beatriz “Bea” born in Mexico of Dutch descent, worked together raising their family and premium wine grapes at the headwaters of the Russian River in beautiful Mendocino County. Barra Family Vineyards has been growing grapes since 1968 and bottled their first bottle of wine in 2014. Mia Bea is a loving tribute to a woman of inspiring faith, strength and grace.
