Miró

In the introduction to the wine list at Miró in the Bacara Restort on the Santa Barbara Coast, wine steward Todd Smith explains the philosophy behind the wine team’s choices. “In the fascinating and diverse world of wine, not all wines say the same thing. We procure and list wines that portray many different syles within any given region. New World v Old World. Fruit forward or earthy. We attempt to sidestep the raging debate of style and offer intelligent options.”

It’s a philosophy that shines through in every choice as you turn the pages of the Miró list. Diversity is celebrated, but never for its own sake—the broad range of 1,100 bins, which is particularly strong in California (not least the local Santa Barbara region) and Burgundy, achieving that often-sought, rarely achieved ideal of “something for everyone” in both style and price, by the bottle and by the glass. It all makes for a suitably catholic choice to match the eclectic, international cuisine prepared by Johan Denizot.