If you haven’t heard of Milla Vineyards, you should become familiar with this local winery. When it’s 100 degrees and shade offers no reprieve, but you still wish to partake of a nice bottle of wine, your choices usually consist of a wine of the white variety. Not that white wines aren’t fine, they do have their place, but if you’re like me, you prefer a wine that has a bit more to it than a white wine can provide.

If you’ve been to wine country, you’ve seen the stately manors on large estates, with impressive tasting rooms and even more impressive barrel rooms, with wine makers that have been trained at the best schools, UC Davis and, more and more, Fresno State. If you’ve looked at labels, you may have seen the name of a movie star to two. Now, if you take the short drive west on McKinley to Milla Vineyards (on the corner of McKinley and Garfield), you’ll notice straight away that there is no stately manor, large estate, or movie stars, nor are there any enology or viniculture degrees hanging on any walls. The barrel room is a converted work shed, and the tasting room is a nicely finished Tuff Shed. Oh, and the wine is wonderful.

Right away, you see that Joey and Debbie aren’t your typical wine makers, and Milla wines aren’t your typical wines. Easy going, unassuming, and refreshingly approachable, Milla reds are inviting to non-red-wine drinkers, while complex enough for those who like a hearty, full-bodied red.

Because the wine isn’t punched during fermentation, a process by which the pulps of the grapes are pressed in order to extract residual juice, thereby releasing the naturally occurring tannins, Milla red’s are light, crisp, refreshing, and sweeter than similar varietals. (A word of warning: if you take a bottle of Milla home with you and get a bit of a fizz when opening, let it breath for a few minutes. Because Milla uses no chemicals to start or stop fermentation, some of their wines have the habit of going through a second fermentation in the bottle; after a few minutes the bubbles will dissipate and the wine will open up.) With six wines to choose from, several being varietals while the majority are table wines, and a port that will rival ports costing three times as much, Milla Vineyards, in only their second bottling (soon to come out), have already achieved a level of quality that some of the bigger houses have yet to achieve.

With the exception of their 2004 Miscela, all of the Milla wines tend to be on the sweet side. Even their Ruby Cabernet will surprise with its fruity-tartness and sweet finish. As the mercury continues to rise this summer, the Milla 2004 Merlyte and the 2004 Sunset are perfect choices for a hot afternoon sitting by the pool or at the table with a light dinner.

Milla wines can be found at Catalanos Market, Liquor Barn, Sierra Nut House, and online @ their website: millavineyards.com. If you stop by for a tasting (Milla Vineyards, 7465 W McKinley every Saturday 11-5pm), give Corky a little scratch under his jaw. He likes that.