Kiara – Winemaker

Hi everyone, Kiara here! I’m sure I have had the pleasure of meeting a good number of you, but if we haven’t met, I am the Winemaker here at lovely Mia Marie Vineyards. I started at Mia Marie in January of 2021, but have been working in the wine industry in San Diego since 2018. Just like so many others, my path into wine was a windy one. I actually studied Graphic Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design with a minor in printmaking, and even worked in design for several years. 

I have always been one to enjoy making tangible things, so when I stumbled into wine I really never looked back. I have since done the UC Davis winemaking program, along with SO many other classes because I am proud to be a wine super nerd. The fact that there is ALWAYS something new to learn is probably one of my favorite things about the wine industry as a whole, but especially about winemaking. 

I am proud to be born and raised in Escondido, so making wine here is truly an honor. I am extremely passionate about San Diego wine, so the fact that we use exclusively San Diego grown grapes is incredibly important to me. Our winemaking practices are driven by terroir and I always spend time getting to know the vineyards we work with. It is important to me that our wines are an expression of the land. I try to intervene as little as possible so the varietals can show us who they are. My goal as a winemaker is to help our wines be who they want to be, while making the best wine possible.

Alright y’all, I am cutting myself off before I go on and on about my love of what I do, but I look forward to sharing more with you as we get further into the blog!

– Kiara