Soraia Millani is an angel, soaring through the air, bringing down gifts for people. More specifically, Millani is a wine angel for Aureole restaurant at Mandalay Bay. “A lot of people get surprised about what I do for the job,” she says. “Normally I have to show people pictures of what I do.”
What exactly is a wine angel? The Brazilian native straps into a harness and floats up and down a seven-level wine tower fetching bottles that guests order; a specially made bag she uses can hold up to 12 bottles at a time. The tower itself can hold up to 10,000 bottles of red wine. (White wine and champagne are stored in the back of the restaurant, but even if you don’t order red wine, Millani will still float up and down the tower for you so you can get the full experience.) On a busy night, Millani can scale the tower every five minutes.
Before becoming an angel, Millani worked as a cocktail server at nightclubs including XS at Wynn and Chateau at Paris. Five years ago she joined Aureole, taking only about a week to learn the role of the wine angel. Not fearing heights and having a gymnastics background helped her excel at the role, she says.
“My favorite part about working here is I enjoy being a part of people’s unique moments in their life,” Millani says. “A lot of people propose here. I’ve held a sign “Will you marry me?” inside the wine tower and the man had his girlfriend look up. It’s a very romantic place, so we get the chance to be a part of people’s special moments. It’s very exciting.”
Libation: Shafer Hillside Select 2014 Napa Valley
Taylor Roth, lead sommelier for Aureole, chose this wine because: 1) It’s at the top of the tower; and 2) It goes well with the restaurant’s wagyu rib cap and filet mignon. “This 100% cabernet sauvignon has a palate-cleansing effect so when you have something fattier like a steak, it’ll clear your mouth every time from the tannin structure of the wine,” he says. The wine tower only holds bottles of red wine because of the temperature inside the tower.
Benefit: When making a reservation for two, ask for Table 24. It absolutely has the best view of the wine tower.
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