Other
Emmanuel Kemiji
Master Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Founder of Miura Vineyards, Emmanuel Kemiji has built a career across wine, beer, coffee, agave, and fiction, but the throughline stays on craft. Born in the United States and raised in Spain and England by Greek Cypriot and Spanish parents, Kemiji was shaped early by different countries, languages, and tables. That background shows up in work that treats taste as a discipline, not a slogan.
The Climb
At University of California, Davis, Emmanuel Kemiji trained the technical side of wine in a setting built for structure. The next rooms mattered too: under the guidance of Darrell Corti Brothers in Sacramento, California, then under the guidance of David Berkley, and later as director of wine and spirits at The Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel; later San Francisco (1988–1999), he added practical range to formal study. The path was cumulative, with each role adding another layer to a career built bottle by bottle, position by position, experience by experience. Over time, Emmanuel Kemiji widened that base into a portfolio that moves cleanly between categories. Since 1995, he has founded and owned Miura Vineyards. Since 2003, he has founded Clos Pissarra and served as managing director of Clos Pissarra Vineyards. In 2020, he founded L+i and Miura Beer Works, and in 2023 he created café Islero. The spread of those projects points to a maker working not only in wine, but in the larger architecture of flavor: fermentation, origin, texture, and the control it takes to make each piece hold together.
Today
Miura Vineyards, founded and owned by Emmanuel Kemiji since 1995, remains the anchor of his work. Clos Pissarra, founded in 2003 in the Montsant and Priorat regions of Spain, extends that work into a terrain that matches the transnational shape of his background. The geography is part of the craft here: old-country land, strong in character, requiring patience and a steady hand. In 2020, Emmanuel Kemiji moved into new formats without leaving wine behind. L+i was the first California wine in a can crafted by a master sommelier, and Miura Beer Works was a collaboration between a master sommelier and a master brewer. Those projects show experimentation within a formal frame: new vessels, new audiences, and new rituals, all while keeping standards tight. That same year, he created The Miura Affair, a novel about two men during the Spanish Civil War. The fiction reads as part of the same working sensibility: attention to memory, place, conflict, and the stories that stay attached to them. In 2023, he added café Islero, a nitro cold brew coffee project centered on a single estate and single variety coffee, and Estaca 1627 in Sonora, Mexico, an agave project. Taken together, these ventures map a broad tasting practice, moving from vineyard to brewery to café to agave fields with the same emphasis on clarity and character.
Signature
Emmanuel's signature dishes include Miura Beer Works, The Miura Affair, café Islero, Estaca 1627, and Miura Vineyards. Taken together, they read less like a menu than a record of range, with each project carrying the same sense of authorship across different forms.
Recognition
Emmanuel's honors include Wine Industry Achievement Award (2006), Sommelier of the Year, and Wine Director of the Year. The awards mark a career recognized for consistent command across varied work, with each accolade sitting inside a broader practice rather than apart from it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Emmanuel
Where did Emmanuel Kemiji train or study?
Emmanuel Kemiji trained at University of California, Davis.
What recognition has Emmanuel Kemiji received?
Wine Industry Achievement Award (2006).
