J.C. Santana
SO MM ELIER
THE BASTION COLLECTION 20
21 MIAM
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SOMMELIER AWARD
I L L U ST R AT I O N : J O S LY N M O O R E ; P H OTO : J A C LY N WA R R E N
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Drawn to Miami’s nightlife, Juan Carlos “J.C.” Santana aspired to be an international DJ. But as he says, cool doesn’t always pay the bills. DJing did bring him to the hospitality world, which developed his interests in whiskey and craft beer. He attended FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management with the intention of becoming a brewer, but a study abroad trip to Rioja set him on a path toward wine. In 2014, he applied to one job at a brewery and one as an assistant sommelier at Juvia, and Juvia got back to him first. He stayed on for a year before getting hired at the newly opened Coya Miami in 2015 as a sommelier. He knew he wasn’t ready to run his own wine program but faked it until Wine Spectator lauded Coya’s wine list and he was promoted to bar manager. When Coya closed in 2017, Santana stayed with the company to help open and manage other concepts. But by 2019, he wasn’t sure he wanted to settle in Miami. He traveled for work and tried to decide what to do, but then he received an offer that he wouldn’t turn down for anything: the opening of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami. At the beginning of 2021, he was promoted to beverage director of the entire company, The Bastion Collection. Pairing with the famed dishes of these restaurants is no easy task, but Santana does it with thoughtfulness and passion.
jota_se_ / thebastioncollection Favorite tool: I was gifted a Code38 wine key, and I am now completely spoiled by this luxury. That being said, I use my bell jigger with equal frequency and joy. Most important pairing rule: Find the balance. Favorite high-low pairing: I have really been loving the wines of Château La Négly from La Clape in the Languedoc with a spiced duck. Wine list you admire from afar: Some of my fondest memories exploring old wine were at Bern's Steak House in Tampa. Advice to your younger self: Putting menus/concepts together is a lot like DJing. If you only play music you love and no one is dancing, have you done a good job? M IA M I 202 1
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