the wine.” For him, the aromas can be more than half of what he’ll expect from the taste of the wine, and from just the aroma alone, he can imagine how it will taste. What he’s looking for in a wine is to taste the fruit. “You have to swirl before you sip. By doing that, you’re aerating the wine,” Abarca says. Aerating opens up the wine, allowing more flavors to come forward. Of course, the missing ingredient here is food, and that’s Cuneo’s bailiwick. “When I became a sommelier, that was what I wanted to do: Pair wine with food and create an experience,” she says. “I was pleasantly surprised when I came to Miraflores at the extensive wines that they made that were extremely food friendly. Not only is the dish transformed with the right wine, but the wine is transformed with the right dish. It’s just so much fun.” Finally, how the wine is served enhances flavor, and while there is a shape of glassware for every style of wine, Cuneo says the fallback is a stemmed red wine glass, which “allows for the aromatics to come through” and is a nice everyday glass to use. Each decision—from grape choice, when to pick, barrel treatment and how to serve—ends up in every sip of wine you drink. At Miraflores Winery, they lead to distinctive fruit-forward wines reflecting the Sierra Nevada foothills. At wineries throughout the state, these decisions reflect winemakers’ styles, preferences and locales. All told, these decisions create California’s reputation for fine wines around the world.
Above, Ashlee Cuneo uses a wine thief to offer a taste from the barrel to server Cole Cuneo. Right, chef Liz Freeland prepares a dish designed to elevate the taste of both wine and food. Below, tasting room manager Madison Jana creates an experience for Alex and Tracy Morgan on the outdoor patio.
Stacey Vreeken cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE Wine for the Miraflores Winery label is only one-third of the production at the El Dorado County site. What about the rest? Find out at californiabountiful.com.
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