Stephen Millier
USA
Stephen's Wines
- USA
- 28 wines
- 7 styles
Your most popular winemaker
- Stephen is no stranger to gold medals, but usually his prestigious employers are the only ones in the limelight.
- We offered Stephen some Angel funding to set aside some of his favorites wines and vineyards to make a special range with his name on the label just for us, and he jumped at the opportunity.
- If you like underdogs, Stephen's your man. He will find the over-looked and under-appreciated and he will take precious care to make sure they grow into big, beautiful wines that deserve more attention.
Stephen Millier's Story
Stephen Millier was the first American winemaker to join Naked Wines back in 2012. In collaboration with Naked, he’s been able to put his name on over a million bottles and he’s built such a successful brand that he’s the #1 direct-to-consumer winemaker in America. When talking about what we’ve built together, he says, “I don’t have a job, I have a passion.”
The Beginning
It all began when he enrolled at the California State University in Fresno. After spending eight years oscillating between math, engineering, and winemaking classes while working nights at the post office as a letter clerk, he graduated with not only a degree in, but a real passion for enology. He was thrilled by the idea “that we only have thirty or forty chances in a lifetime to try and get it right.”
When, after graduation, he received a letter inviting him to interview at David Bruce Winery, Stephen bought every DB bottle he could find (“a very eclectic lineup,” he noted) and got the job. The position set him on his path for a lifetime of successful vintages. He spent five idyllic years as the winemaker for David Bruce, perfecting Burgundian winemaking techniques with high-quality, high-elevation fruit.
One day, he realized he was running short on time to actualize his dream: opening his own winery by the age of 35. He didn’t have enough money to buy a slice of established California wine country, but he was armed with knowledge passed on by David Bruce. On the hunt for a region at the intersection of quality and affordability, he found himself in Calaveras County.
Putting Calaveras on the Map
When he became winemaker at Stevenot Winery, the only winery in Calaveras, Stephen’s duties extended far beyond the winery walls. He became an ambassador for the whole region — inspiring others to plant vineyards, open wineries, and maintain a high level of quality. Stephen and his wife, Liz, helped found the Calaveras Wine Association, which has grown to 30+ boutique wineries, 25+ Main Street tasting rooms, and 600+ planted acres of vineyards. Getting Calaveras on the map was an “uphill battle”, but one worth fighting.
“For the longest time, we had to give such a geography lesson! It’s probably been ten or fifteen years, but today I can go anywhere, talk about [Calaveras], and they know where it is!”
As if he weren’t busy enough establishing a whole wine region, Stephen also established a handful of wine brands in the Foothills: Ironstone Vineyards (where he’s been Director of Winemaking since 1999), Bear Creek, Leaping Horse, Christine Andrew, Murphys Ridge, and Stone Valley to name a few. He’s played a part in the success of many other wine brands, but we’ve done so much bragging, and we’re just getting to the best part.
Stumbling into Opportunity
When Stephen met Naked Wines, he had his hands in a lot of different pies. Following his dream of having his own winery by the age of thirty-five, Stephen opened his own winery — Milliare — in 1983. The wine was great, but Stephen was spread thin and wanted to focus on winemaking, not marketing. When he met Naked founder Rowan Gormley in 2012, Naked was still a young company, and Stephen was taking a chance being the first American winemaker in the line-up. Stephen jumped at the opportunity because it promised to let him focus on what he wanted: making and sharing wine to make people happy.
“The idea was to have winemakers in control of their own wines, and interacting with customers instead of working behind a wall. I don’t think anyone realized how successful it would become — it was just an idea that Rowan wanted to try out. As they say, the rest is history!”
Stephen's Archangels
Life is too short to drink cheap wine
I live in Southern Oregon wine country with my husband and two cats. We found Naked Wines through my sister-in-law who has been telling me about the "club" for months. We're looking forward to getting our first 1/2 case and checking out the wines. We are into bold and complex reds - Zin, Syrah, Tempranillo and Malbec.
Live each day as if it were your last and enhance every dinner with a glass of wine. Cheers!
I am a RETIRED computer geek that worked for a large consumer products company. I have always liked wine to a certain extent since I was old enough to drink it (or my parents would let me try it). However, I was seriously bit by the wine bug a number of years ago and began trying everything! I'm more partial to reds and sparklers than whites (especially sweet wines - color me dry), but love trying them all! Bas vers le haut!
It's amazing how your tastebuds mature! I've gone from Boone's Farm to the best there is here at Naked Wines - all in less than 5 decades! During that time period, I've been a professional rider & trainer, an English/Social Studies teacher, a travel agent, a coordinator for a national business barter organization, a support staff and a trainer for a NYS government agency - and the owner of an equine video & photo company. I've lived/worked in NY, KY, TX, SC, OR - and back to NY. I've also started two groups: 1. Northeast State of Wine, so we in this area can share the fun! Please come join in - our wineries create deliciousness from grapes, apples, pears, berries...you name it! - and 2. Sharing Made Easy - LINKS.. - where wine-related info, either links or copied & pasted info (with credit, if appropriate) can be shared. This is to help others find info that is frequently discussed - until our techies (or NW corp) set up an efficient Search feature. No comments - just links/info.
Transplant to Florida here. Pharmacist, wine enthusiast, photographer, and traveler. I LOVE the Naked Wines experience- getting the opportunity to try wonderful new wines on a regular basis is so exciting and enlightening!
