Vegas Wineaux

Into the Sunset - 'Bye to Blogger

2008-04-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

No, we’re not leaving. Just moving!

Although it’s still a work in progress, the new Vegas Wineaux site is now up and running. Please join me there!

Here are some of the new and improved features:

One address. No more bouncing from website to blog and back again. Everything is here, mostly in blog format with static pages with web content.
It’s easier to find and read past postings.
Clean, user-friendly layout.
Links to postings, pages, and more.
Multimedia! I’m finally in the 21^st Century! Sort of.

The new site is more professional in appearance, offers a better interface, and is easier to navigate. The new Combatting Swirl Envy link will lead you to our classes and other services. The Contact page will give you a way to contact us. The slideshows are a new addition, and there's still more to come. There will be a Forum, where everyone can come and share their wine adventures, purchases, tasting events, and more.

The winery series - showcasing the wineries I've visited - is now a serious work in progress and will be on the site shortly. The Vegas Pics that everyone liked on the old site will be making a reappearance in a fresher, funner (??) mode.

Just as a surprise to you, I have already transported all of the postings from Blogger (that would be here) and moved them to the new site. Shortly you will able to read some of the old classic posts (such as my infamous rant on the then-new restaurant, Sweet Water in Henderson).

More pictures, more postings, more features, all in one-stop shopping!

What Makes a Wine Kosher? Wineaux Educational Moment!

2008-04-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

One of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar is upon us, and it is a holiday fraught with emotion, historical crises, and spiritual uplifting. It is Passover, or as it is known in Hebrew, Pesach.

Because the Passover Seder (celebratory dinner that takes place during the first and second nights of the eight-day holiday) requires that several glasses of wine be drunk during the ceremony, wine has a special place and has special significance during this time. The wine also has to be symbolically the purest, which means that it has to be kosher.

The most popular misconception about kosher wines is that they are blessed by rabbis. Quite the contrary; wines are made kosher so that anyone can make blessings. “Supervised” is a far more accurate term, since the men who are overseeing the vineyards are working very hard, and are not necessarily rabbis.

Kosher laws are derived from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) where God sets down His laws for what Jews may or may not eat. The reasoning behind the kosher laws can be quite bewildering. Many commandments fall under the principle of "Chok," i.e., divinely given laws beyond human understanding. The Torah also required that most offerings, whether of animals, grain, olive oil, flour, or other foods, be brought with a "wine libation," indicating that wine was an integral part of the worship service.

To ensure wine's purity, the establishment of wine koshering laws began during the time of Maimonides, about the mid-1100s. While not specified in the Torah, the practice of certifying wine as Kosher came about because of the religious practices of the non-Jewish populations surrounding Jewish societies. These populations would use their wines as libations to their gods, which was anathema to the Jews who were expressly commanded to avoid even touching items that were used in sacrifice to alien deities. The Jewish religious leaders then expressly forbade any wine that was handled by a non-Jew, since it was not clear whether that person would have used such wine during their worship services.

Kosher wine starts in the vineyard with Orlah, which means that it is forbidden to use the grapevines from the first three years of the planting. However, it is not necessary that grapes come from kosher vineyards (although there are many who would disagree vehemently about that statement) since grapes are Pareve (neither milk nor dairy) – essentially, neutral.

Some unethical winemakers would use bovine blood to increase the redness of their wines, and kosher laws expressly forbid the consumption of blood in any form. (I’d say that such wines were probably overly earthy and lacking in fruit). So no animal products may be allowed to touch the wine. Winemakers often use egg whites or gelatin to clarify the wine. Kosher winemakers, on the other hand, use bentonite, a type of clay, to attract suspended particles and drag them down to the bottom of the barrel. Egg whites are forbidden because they may have blood spots in them or the gelatin may be made from non-kosher animals, rendering it unfit to drink.

In addition, only Sabbath-observing Jewish males are permitted to touch or handle the wine from the moment grapes are harvested and crushed until the wine is sealed with a cork and capsule into a bottle.

All equipment must be spotlessly clean and not used for the making of non-kosher wine. All barrels must be brand new and/or used exclusively for kosher wines. No barrels used for non-kosher wines may be used in kosher winemaking.

Jewish law states that kosher wine can become non-kosher if it is opened and poured by a non-Jew, such as a waiter or bartender, unless it has been previously boiled. (Don’t flinch. It’s not a bad thing). The laws of Kashrut (i.e, kosher laws) specify that the wine has to be made different from non-kosher wine in every respect. A mevushal wine retains its religious purity no matter who opens or pours it. While mevushal wines “used” to be inferior in quality, technology has whittled away at the differences between mevushal and non-mevushal wines. A recent study at the University of California at Davis, the nation's top winemaking school, has shown that it's often impossible to taste the difference between the two.

Making wine mevushal is a process which brings the “must” (the slush of grape solids and juice resulting from the grape pressing) to the boiling point, defined as heating it until air bubbles are brought to the surface and some wine is lost through evaporation. This is done before the fermentation process begins.

Wine served at large functions invariably is mevushal, as it retains its Kashrut quality even when the bottle is opened by non-Jewish waiters and passed around the table at a mixed gathering.

A perusal of a wine’s label will tell you whether a wine is kosher, and if it is, whether it’s mevushal. In order to be kosher for Passover - which has special requirements during the holiday - the wines are almost invariably mevushal.

So there you have it! Happy Passover!

Coming Soon! And Cruise News!

2008-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

A LOT of things are coming soon, and I want to share them all with you.

I have been dropping teasers during the last two posts about a wine cruise. Here is the launch (pun intended) of the promotion for the cruise, and the launch of the new wine tasting and food events at MARC’S in Summerlin.

MARC’S Wine Reception
Wednesday, April 30, 5 to 7pm
The first of unusual bimonthly wine and cuisine events
RSVP at (702) 562-1920
Cover charge $6.00
At MARC’S Restaurant 7290 West Lake Mead Blvd.

*Help kick off a Mexican Wine Cruise with Cruise Holidays of Summerlin!
*Try out new wines from MARC’S collection!
*Enjoy live jazz guitar entertainment!
*Get in on winery visits and tastings with an exciting new cruise!
*Have an opportunity to meet:
Saskia Olsen, Cruise Line Representative
Irene King, Vegas Wineaux Instructor in wine etiquette and tasting
Cruise Holidays of Summerlin wine cruise staff for updates!

I’m so excited I can hardly stand it! Most people don’t know that there are world-class wineries in Mexico. And that until now, they had not exported their wines to the U.S. Well, all of that is changing, and they are opening up their wines and doors to us. Come and visit us during the reception and get information about the cruise!

And lest you think that I am forsaking my favorite wine country, Paso Robles, fear not. Victor Abascal of Vines on the Marycrest will be in on the 26th for still yet another party at our friends at Vino 100. Come by and say hi, and sample some of Victor’s wonderful wines!

And last but not least, there are major changes afoot for the Vegas Wineaux website and Blog! We are hitting the 21st century in full stride!

There will be a completely new, modern look to the website, and the Blog will be incorporated within the web structure. In addition to regular Blog postings and schedules of classes and other events, there will be a variety of new articles and occasional submissions by guest authors. Slideshows, podcasts, and picture galleries will add to the multimedia appeal. We will have pages showcasing our favorite wineries, winemakers, wine folks, friends, and Wineaux! There will be Wineaux Taste Notes, recipes, and other new features.

As you may be able to tell, I’m very excited about these new changes and have been working very hard to bring everything together. I am calculating that the launch of the new site will take place *about* the first weekend of May.

Stay tuned and keep on sippin’!!

Paso Pleasures, Pics, and Updates!

2008-04-02T21:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, Okay. Stop yelling. But you’ll still have to be patient!

Here are some teasers about my trip to Paso last week, and I had to share some of my adventures with you.

As I mentioned in last week’s entry, who knew it was Easter?!? Since the kids are grown and the grandkids live in California, I tend to be somewhat lax when it comes to keeping track of holidays. Oh well. My Sunday plans went awry, but that’s okay. My visits on Friday and Saturday more than made up for it!

Here’s an overview of what my trip was about:

The first stop on Friday was at Opolo. It was a necessity, because somehow, my Mountain Zin wasn’t packaged in my shipment. !!!!! For those of you who are fans of Opolo Mountain Zin, you know that’s an unforgivable sin (no pun intended)!

Their large and lovely wine tasting room had a few fans in there who were (surprise) tasting and buying wine. We met with Sherri who took us on a tour of the grounds. I took lots of pictures which will be on the website shortly. I can’t even begin to describe the magnificence of the view.

Our next stop was to Vines on the Marycrest, where, once again, we were taken on a tour of the vineyards by the winemaker and owner, Victor Abascal. The next time Victor comes into town and does a pouring, you have to come and meet him and enjoy his wonderful wines! He is personable, chatty, and very passionate about winemaking. Plus, he has a heck of a story behind his unusual winery name.

The next trip was to Villicana, where we met up with Alex. (Yes, Alex fans, he’s still as cute as ever!). He took us to his expanded winery room, which is in the middle of construction. I am already envisioning Vegas Wineaux tastings in there! We tasted his new releases and bemoaned the fact that the Rosé is now filtered! Apparently there are quite a number of people who don’t understand that unfiltered and unfined means that the wine may be cloudy. Sheesh.

After making a quick trip to pick up the rest of our party, we went to Hug Cellars where we met with Augie Hug who regaled us with stories of vineyard politics, future plans, and later treated us to a barrel tasting. He told us about different types of oak, different barrel manufacturing processes, plans for his barrel room, and more.

We spent quite a long time there before we left for dinner and chatted far into the evening.

The next morning saw our intrepid little group at the Paso Robles Inn, where the Belgian Pecan Waffles with Pecan Butter was the choice of a couple of folks, and I had something “healthy.” Still delicious, though! We walked over to the square which was hosting the Farmers Market, which was smaller due to the Easter holiday we were told. We made some purchases while waiting for a particular wine tasting room to open.

Midlife Crisis Winery is a fun winery with award-winning wines. Jill Mittan, the co-owner (along with her husband … another funny story behind the name) was there with Allison, her pourer, and we had an Easter Egg hunt for grownups! I got an egg full of Kisses, and one of my traveling companions won bottles of wine! I was sooooo jealous! They were one of the few wineries open on Easter, so we returned Sunday to pick up our wines.

The next winery was the now-iconic Tobin James Cellars! “The Man” wasn’t there that day, but our pourer Helen was wonderful as she treated us to club member wines as well as the wines available for public tasting. This is the only tasting that started in Paso Robles and ended in a party in Vegas! You’ll have to stay tuned for the update on the website for that special treat!

The last winery we visited was Hidden Oak Winery. The owner, Mike James (no relation to Tobin) and his lovely wife Martha, treated us to his two wines, Merlot and Encanto, which is a Merlot/Cabernet blend. I didn’t expect this quality of Merlot out of Paso Robles, and was entranced by the perfume and flavor. We went for a walk to the vineyards on his spectacular property in Templeton. This is where we discovered something about terroir…the earth where the vines were growing is fragrant! Along with the substantial flint found in the soil, the evening breezes and climate make for an incredible wine. If you are familiar with CellarTracker, a quick lookup of Mike's wines will show you what the tasting community thinks of them. The scores are in the 90s, and I can fully understand why.

The places I *didn’t* get to visit because of the holiday were Arroyo Robles, Christian Lazo, Pasolivo, Dunning, Donatoni, Halter Ranch, Four Vines, and even Robert Hall. I will plan my next trip a little more carefully, and make sure that I don’t go there on a major Sunday holiday!

I took nearly 300 pictures during that weekend, and even counting the oopsies, the randon foot shot, the blurries, etc., I still had a pretty big bunch of good-to-great pictures. The magnificent early spring scenery of Paso Robles and the surrounding area screamed to be caught on film (or memory chip. whatever.) and I couldn’t resist.

Each of the wineries will have its own page and slideshow on the website which is being updated. It’s not difficult since I’m a techie person, but the organization can be tedious. Stay tuned!

Yes, it’s true. Vegas Wineaux is currently in negotiations for a winery cruise in December with Carnival Cruise Lines. As soon as I have some solid news to report, I will let y’all know. You will be stunned, I promise!

Until next time, keep sipping!

Paso Robles! 'Nuff Said!

2008-03-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you have everything planned out well in advance, along comes something to upset those plans. It's amazing how "real life" can do that.

First of all, I went to Paso Robles this past weekend. My plans were to visit the wineries with whom I’ve been communicating, and then to spend a day visiting new places and making new friends.

Who knew it was Easter. Wasn’t that supposed to be *next* week?? Oh well. Just about everything was closed on Sunday, of course.

I was also planning to take all of the notes and pictures I took and make a two-part Blog entry.

Wrong.

What can I say? This was a truly spectacular weekend, both in the weather and in the quality of the people. And the views, and the vineyard tours, and the wineries, and the wines!! I am still smiling at the fun that I had and am humbled at the generosity of spirit and the passion for their wines that the folks have up there. And as one of my small group indicated, they haven’t been “Napafied.”

And pictures. Lots and lots of pictures! The spectacular spring scenery in Paso was breathtaking. There were over 300 pictures taken, and most are phenomenal. Sort of in the category of “it’s hard to take a bad picture.” The bad pictures were just that … why in the world did I think an out-of-focus picture of my feet in Crocs was a good idea?!? At any rate, after weeding out the so-so pics, the best will be uploaded along with a description of each winery and blurbs from the interviews.

So this is what I decided to do. Each place I visited will have its own page on the website. It may take a couple of weeks to get everything up there, but if you’re a regular visitor to the site, you’ll see each page as it appears. I will also be adding to the Paso Robles slideshow page.

I visited Opolo, Villicana, Hug Cellars, Vines on the Marycrest, Midlife Crisis Winery, Tobin James, and a relative newcomer, Hidden Oak Winery. Without exception, they were open, warm welcoming, and generously shared their knowledge about their wines, plans for their future, and proudly showed our little group around.

So I’m still recovering from the long drive (six hours one way, about five if there’s no Highway Patrol around), but am already planning a summer trip for me and a Harvest tour for Vegas Wineaux(s)!

Stay tuned for upcoming information on the Winery Cruise with Vegas Wineaux. And it’s not what you may be thinking! This is a real surprise!

Paso Robles! Friends, Me, and the 21st Century

2008-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

If you’re on the newsletter mailing list, you are already aware that I did not fall of the face of the earth and am, in fact, still quite firmly attached to terra firma.

I am overloaded with stuff to tell you, and don’t know where to begin.

The Combatting Swirl Envy classes have been so much fun and gone so well. We're churning out wine snobs by the truckload! There will be one class in April, but afterwards we’ll be on a temporary hiatus after that point as I recover from a medical “procedure” (yes, you can squirm), and finish updating the class to meet the requested needs of the students. We’ll have an even better CSE course and series of classes that will meet the needs of the neophyte Wineaux. Fun? You bet!

Thanks and shout outs to Valley Cheese and Wine and Khoury’s for allowing me to have space in their wonderful establishments. The students love the stores and have a hard time leaving without buying more wine!

Okay, here’s the embarrassing part. It’s time that I was brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

If you look to the right, you will see two sites that I’ve linked to. One is VinoLasVegas, which is the other Las Vegas-centric Blog, and the other is Classic Wines. Both sites are great in that they have video (!!!)

Of course the granddaddy of online video is my new favorite wine critic, Gary Vaynerchuk. He is a total nutcase, but certainly has the whole non-snobby wine thing figured out. What’s more, he has placed his own reviews of wine on the Internet and has – in the approximately year and a half since he started – become quite the global phenomenon. WineLibrarytv.com.

While my buds here aren’t quite at the global phenomenon stage yet, they do have great video that you have to check out.

The Vino Las Vegas Blog is run by two of my friends, Scott and Elaine Harris (Elaine is the cute one). Anyway, ever since they went to the World of Pinot Noir, I’m barely speaking to them, but I’ll recover and talk to them again some day. Maybe. (As you can probably guess, I DID NOT make it to the WoPN. Can you imagine? Me. The ultimate Pinot Ho. My motto: If you drink no Noir, you Pinot Noir. Dammit.)

But I digress.

Classic Wines is a little different. Matt Apsokardu has an incredible website dedicated to informing people about wines and he does enviable interviews with winemakers, tasters, etc. It’s easy to spend quite a bit of time at his site (ask me how I know), and you’ll learn a lot when you do. And spend money. But that’s a whole ‘nother discussion!

And I don’t want to leave out a new friend, TheWineryChannel.tv. That’s sort of where I met Victor Abascal, owner of Vines on the Marycrest. What a wonderful little site they have!

And now we get to me. I have recently spent wayyyy too much time looking for a battery for a 30-year-old camera before I remember that it’s really older than my kids and what the heck am I doing?!? So my goal for this Spring/Summer is to actually buy a little video cam so that I can look as cool as Scott and Elaine as they get these great interviews, blah blah blah. Grrr. Anybody have a flash bulb?

New stuff! My trip to Paso Robles will see new pictures on the website, interviews, tastings, and more. AND!! Keep your ears close by for news about the upcoming Vegas Wineaux at sea as we explore new wineries in places that would surprise you!

Sound mysterious enough? Stay tuned …

And thanks to Roger of The Winery Channel for granting permission for me to reprint the following little blurb from his newsletter. It's so funny!

TOP TEN REASONS TO DRINK WINE

#10 - It's mostly water... really good water.
#9 - Wine is easy. Comes in shades of two colors.
#8 - Wine is fruit juice and everyone know that fruit is really good for you.
#7 - The likelihood of a wine drinker strapping on a bomb
to blow up fellow wine shoppers at BevMo is virtually nil.
#6 - Wine is not explosive ... mostly.
#5 - Wine bottles hold the perfect amount to seduce a willing lover.
#4 - Wine is an excellent excuse for having a wine cellar,
thus a place to hide from your spouse and kids.
#3 - Wine grows in the most beautiful places, so it's obvious that God
wants you to visit there. Don't make him any madder. Go now!
#2 - A moderate amount of wine improves
your appearance, intellect & wisdom...for a short time.

And finally reason number one ---

#1 - Reasons? We ain't got no reasons.
We don't need no reasons.
I don't have to show you any stinkin' reasons!

* (with a nod to Alfonso Bedoya - Treasure of Sierra Madre.)

Vines on the Marycrest Tastes Vegas! and Event Reminder

2008-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

You know how sometimes you meet certain people and just “click”? Well that happened a few weeks ago when Victor Abascal of Vines on the Marycrest winery contacted me when he learned about the Blog and what a Paso Robles fan I am.

Victor came to Las Vegas last week, and I had the opportunity (privilege, actually) to meet with him two days in a row. At 44, he looks far younger and has an engaging, friendly style. Victor is a Technical Engineer in the film business in Los Angeles, which makes for an interesting commute from his home in Paso Robles. Not only that, but his brother-in-law is Rick Baker of cinema special-effects fame!

He began his wine-making career by surreptitiously planting vines on the grounds of the Marycrest, a Catholic home for the aged, in his hometown of Culver City, California, and his winery’s namesake. Well, the nuns there freaked (can nuns freak?), and the police were called. Well, once they realized that this was not the illegal greenery that it appeared, the nuns relaxed and Victor had his vineyard. And then the insurance company intervened. As a result of this and a series of other head-shaking events, Victor eventually found his destiny in Paso Robles. This all makes for a lively, interesting story of someone whose true passion is wine!

Victor and I corresponded for quite a while as he developed his itinerary for last week. I also got to know him via The Winery Channel where he narrated his wine/life story.

Victor came in last week in order to promote his wines, and he and Elliot Pemberton (www.pembertondc.com) did a whirlwind tasting of his wines at various casinos and restaurants. I’d like to brag about some of the restaurants they went to, but I’ve been sworn to silence.

Thursday evening Elliot, Victor, Michael Breyer and I met at AquaKnox restaurant in the Venetian. Elliot and Victor had just come from a tasting at (insert name of prestigious restaurant here), and were tired but excited after a busy day that was capped by that impressive tasting. Victor generously shared his wines as we nibbled on the delicious appetizers of AquaKnox. By the way, they were very accommodating of our need for glasses, and couldn’t have been better. Kudos to them!

Like nearly every winery, Victor has a particular angle to distinguish his wines from everyone else’s. First is his label. The name of the wine is on the back label along with all of the pertinent information. In addition, his reds are named after famous songs which have personal signifcance to him and his family. And to top it off, Victor bottled everything under bright yellow screwcaps.

The first wine that Victor poured was the 2005 Heart of Glass (Blondie), 67% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 11% Mourvedre. Very fragrant and highly drinkable, this is a food wine.

Next was 2005 ‘Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk), 45% Syrah, 33% Mourvedre, 22% Grenache. I quickly discovered that “fragrance” seems to be the distinguishing characteristic of the Marycrest wines. Dark fruit, pepper, spice and berries on the nose, and the same on the palate.

The third wine was 2005 Satin Doll (Duke Ellington), 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Syrah, 6% Cab Franc. Quoting Victor, “I set out to make this wine. This is the wine that I had in my mind when I started thinking about making wine.” I can understand why. Lush and, well, *fragrant,* this wine is elegance in plums, cassis, berries, and tobacco. The tannins are well integrated and it has a long, almost creamy finish. This wine coats the glass when swirled.

The last wine tasted was the 2005 My Generation (The Who), which is a lively blend of 45% Zinfandel, 28% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, and 9% Petit Sirah. Big and fruit forward, this is a characteristic Paso Robles Zin-based wine. Break out the barbeque! Berries and spice, along with smoke and pepper make this a real lip-smacker.

As you can see, all of his wines are blends, and all are characteristic of the rich aromas and flavors for which the Paso Robles wines are known.

I met Victor and Elliot Friday night as they poured for the customers, fans, friends, and wine club members of Vino 100. This evening, however, he also had his 2006 Rosé, which became my immediate love. It’s a blend of 63% Grenache, 16% Syrah, 16% Mourvedre, and 5% Zinfandel. This ain’t no sissy pink! It’s unfined and unfiltered, with a richness that’s normally expected in reds. As of this writing, it’s not attached to a song!

The one thing that I noticed when I was tasting at Vino 100 is that the fragrance of the wines were redolent with the primary grape’s bouquet. In other words, while I thought the wines were very fragrant Thursday night at AquaKnox, the smaller, more intimate environment of Vino 100 really showcased the primary grapes’ perfumes.

I can’t wait to visit the winery when I visit Paso Robles next month. Vines on the Marycrest has once again confirmed why it is that I love the wines of Paso Robles. The rich Rhône blends, with their heady fragrances and rich fruit are putting Paso on the (wine) map.

Thanks again to Victor and Elliot for thinking of me when scheduling their busy schedule. But then again, such generosity so typical of wine people.

Oh yeah, before I close, I want to remind everyone of the Cultural Diversity Foundation Wine Tasting and Jazz event on Saturday night, March 1. I hope to see you there as my friends and I pour wines and help this very deserving cause. I’ve also contributed a free Combatting Swirl Envy-Lite! class for two as a door prize!

Hope to see you there!

Long Winded! Lots of Tasting Stuff!

2008-02-21T00:23:00.001-08:00

I hope that this entry isn’t too long, but I have a lot to report. These items aren’t in chronological order, but here ya go:

For those of you who receive the Vegas Wineaux newsletter, you noticed that I did a little blurb on a car repair facility that I felt was absolutely miraculous (honest *and* reasonably priced). The newsletter said it was "$ & M Auto Service Systems.” Oops. Money on the mind, I guess. Well, it’s supposed to be “R & M Auto Service Systems.” Sheesh. Keyboard issues.

Wednesday night found me at Onda, the Wine Bar at the Mirage. I knew that they would be pouring wines from a new winery, but I had no idea. I ended up taking notes on an old envelope and scraps of paper, so you have to bear with me.

Daou Vineyards is owned by brothers Georges and Daniel Daou. Their vineyard is located on the West side of Paso Robles (yay). They have several lines of wines, and their La Capilla line was poured at Onda. They also have Lodi fruit as well.

At this time, they are making reds only, with a Viognier being planned for limited release later this year. Daniel spent some time at our table, talking about wine as a passion and how one day he decided that making wine was his life’s destiny.

Six wines were poured and I’m offering my tasting notes. YMMV.

2005 La Capilla Saveur (Lodi) – medium bodied Petit Sirah that offers smoke, berries, plums, chocolate and dust on the nose, with the same on the palate. It has an interesting fleshy component, soft, well-integrated tannins, nicely viscous without being “thick,” and a long, minerally finish. Not like the fruit bombs I’m used to, but has subtlety and class.

2005 La Capilla Melange (Paso Robles) – This is a Cabernet/Syrah blend (61%/39%) with plum, cassis, earth, espresso and a touch of cedar on the nose. On the palate, the taste reflects the nose, along with integrated tannins and a bit of pepper on the medium finish.

2006 La Capilla Old Vines Zinfandel (Lodi) – Jammy nose, lots of dark fruit, spice (can’t tell which), and a very clean, crisp palate. Surprisingly austere for Central Coast wines, it has lots of earthy Zin flavor.

2006 La Capilla Old Vines Zinfandel Reserve (Lodi) – Very similar to the previous Zin, but earthier, with a rich dark fruit component, which adds to its complexity. Smoky for a Zin, and with an interesting herbal component (this is a good thing), and a long finish.

2006 La Capilla Syrah (Paso Robles) – Okay, this one was my favorite, hands down. Rich dark fruit, berries, ash, smoke, spice, and a rich, glass-coating viscosity. Varied berry flavors on the tongue, with a long, minerally finish. Rich tooth-stainer! Yum!

2006 La Capilla Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) – Bright fruit, cigar box, cocoa, cassis, plums, with firm, balanced tannins, good acid, and a long, fruity finish.

Daou Vineyards has a great web presence, and I encourage you to go take a look at their site.

By the way, Daniel indicated that they plan to return to Onda on March 12.

I hosted the Fritz & Tex's Wine Club Thing at my home last Saturday night, and had a wonderful time doing so. The theme (which I picked) was all about single varietal wines. The wines were Zinfandel, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Garnacha, and an Argentinean Tempranillo. All fabulous, all tasty.

When putting together the tasting notes, I realized that there were several wines that had apparently never been submitted to any of the Mega-Winemags for evaluation. In case you didn't know, the tasters for these magazines don't go running out to find the wines … the winemakers submit their wines for tasting analysis. Such a gamble can make or break a winemaker. If the wine is universally loved, the prices can skyrocket and the wine may achieve "cult" status. If the wine is universally panned, you may see it on the clearance shelf of the local Walgreen's Pharmacy along with the bargain bottles of white zin.

Of course, those of us who love particular wines experience a special evil glee when a famed wine taster dislikes a wine. More for us!!! Especially since so many people slavishly follow the tasters' recommendations and often do their shopping based on scores alone.

Another thing that people tend to forget is that just like the rest of us, tasters have their preferences. I would go so far to say that there is no absolutely neutral taster out there.

One of the most well-known and high profile wine tasters is Robert Parker. He has the ability to make or break winemakers based on his evaluations of wines. And people will take his word as gospel.

I've found that my palate does not usually agree with Mr. Parker's. If he raves over a wine, you can be pretty sure that I will find it overdone, high-alcohol, and a little too much over the top. If he *likes* a wine and gives it a score in the mid to upper 80s, it's almost a guarantee that I will love it. Mr. Parker's palate apparently tends to prefer the more fruit-forward, very New World types, while I prefer true varietal character. To be sure, I like many of the wines that he likes, but I also know that we have our preferences and differences.

Last year Mr. Parker panned Kosta Browne's releases. Woo hoo!! That meant that the prices didn't skyrocket, and I was able to acquire more bottles. I'm a happy woman! I can only hope that Kosta Browne continues in its quest for true varietal character and doesn't stoop to making wine for the critics instead of good, solid wine for the rest of us.

But I digress.

I ranted about all of that just to say that I found several tasters online who do a wonderful job of evaluating and critiquing wines, often in language that everyday folks like us can relate to. Just because they aren't hired by a mega-wine magazine or are wine celebrities, doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with their assessments.

So I found a couple of wonderful, real-world wine reviews that I used in the notes for the blind tasting. One of these is the Ambassador of Wine which is run by a Seattle-area steakhouse waiter. His insight and envy-provoking descriptions are fun to read.

The other is Nick On Wine, who, besides being one of my Friends on MySpace, also has a fabulous Blog. Not quite a “regular” person, Nick Anthony is Akronewsnow's resident wine educator and columnist. Nevertheless, his reviews are unpretentious and easy to understand.

So there you have it. Get out there and drink some wine!

If you receive two notices of the Blog update, it's only because I 'm transitioning from one mail service to another. Thanks for your patience.

This Ain’t Yo’ Momma’s Wine 101!! The Philosophy of Combatting Swirl Envy.

2008-02-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of questions asking about our special (that means “different”) type of wine classes.

Well, this ain’t yo’ Momma’s Wine 101.

In fact, except for educating the palate, there’s very little about actual wine that’s talked about. It’s all about progressing from rank neophyte to wine snob.

Let me tell you a little about my history.

For nearly twenty years, I have been doing some sort of adult training, education, and instruction. Nearly all of this experience has been in the Information Technology (computer) field. Hey, I know DOS!

When I first came to Las Vegas 14 years ago this month, I was the new kid on the block. That meant that I got the, um, “less than desirable” teaching assignments. And I enthusiastically made them my own.

One of my favorite courses was called “PC Basics.” I loved this class because I was able to take folks who were completely clueless about computers and turn them into PC whiz kids. So what was it about this class that made it so special? After all, there were lots of classes on Word Processing, Spreadsheets, How to Create Graphics, How to Use an Email System, blah blah blah. My place in this schema was simple: how can you create a spreadsheet if you don’t even know how to turn on a computer? If you don’t know what the buttons on a mouse mean or how to hold it, then the concept of “point and click” is meaningless. So I took my students by the hand (figuratively speaking), and led them into the fascinating world of bits and bytes. And made fanatics of nearly all of them.

I took that same philosophy into the world of wine. How can the concepts of regions, varietals, and terroir make sense if you can’t correctly hold a wine glass? What good is a restaurant wine list going to do for you if the language makes no sense? And, most importantly, how can you look cool among a bunch of wine snobs?

That’s where Vegas Wineaux and Combatting Swirl Envy come in! We take you through the very basics of wine … it is even *pre* Wine 101! It’s all about understanding less than the basics so that the most elementary of wine classes makes sense. I assist students in sharpening their observation skills, honing their wine drinking skills, and learning how to understand and conduct themselves during a wine tasting – whether it’s at a store, an event (think UNLVino), or a winery. In other words, they are so comfortable with the very basics that they are more than ready to really learn about wines and to kick their skills up notches unknown by mankind. (thanks, Emeril). They are also more at ease in their own familiarity of setting up their home wine collections and sharing their wines with (sometimes better wine-educated) friends.

So how has this helped them? I’ve made many of them into wine fanatics just as I made my PC folks into computer geeks! They can’t wait to get into the next level of wine classes! What’s even more fun is that they scoff at those people on TV and in the movies who don’t even “get” basic wine tasting etiquette. (“He gets paid millions of dollars and can’t even hold a damn glass right!”) Love it!

Are the Combatting Swirl Envy classes working? You bet!

So what’s in the future for Vegas Wineaux? Look for Combatting Swirl Envy classes on both sides of the Valley, especially as the weather warms up and we look forward to summer sipping. Wine-free wine classes are also in development for those who want to learn about wine etiquette but don't want to drink wines. My students are learning enough to be able to pour and speak knowledgeably about wines, which several of them will be doing at an upcoming volunteer event. Yes, they have their TAM cards! The first Vegas Wineaux Paso Robles Experience is being planned for this summer. Very special and different Vegas Wineaux Gear™ is being readied for sale on the website. Whew! And there’s more, which we’ll share with you as the planning and negotiations progress. It’s all very exciting and fun!

I hope that you are enjoying our newest venture to serve the readers of the Blog and other wine folks: our new newsletter! While the Blog keeps you up to date on what’s going on in Vegas and with Vegas Wineaux, the newsletter shares bits and pieces of “real time” news and detailed tasting notes.

Enjoy it all! I’m so happy to see that the subscriber list is growing and that many of you are dropping wonderful notes and emails of encouragement and enthusiasm. Stay with us and watch us as we grow!

Nagging, Classes, and Vegas Wineaux does Tasting Notes!

2008-02-04T23:33:00.001-08:00

Consider this a weekly nag! I’m encouraging everyone to subscribe to this Blog’s updates for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that it saves me from LOTS of emailing. I have a lot of loyal readers (I get letters …!) but subscribing would give me the ability to better track everyone. On the right-hand side somewhere (there really should be an arrow pointing) there are now two ways that you can subscribe: one by the “regular” email way and the other via RSS feed. I have a Widget on my Google homepage and it serves as a very annoying reminder that it’s time for me to update! Yes, I created a Google Widget, so if Google is your home page, you can find the Widget and save it! And then let me know so that I can remove your name from my ever-growing update list.

I’ve been very happy with the CSE-Lite! classes. New people, enthusiasm, and new wine fans who are ready to go forth and learn more are the result of attending a Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! class.

I had to reschedule the first class on the west side due to a conflict, but West Valley folks should not despair! There is another one already scheduled for early March. I will have more information next entry!

The board meeting for Vegas Wineaux took place this last weekend, and I’d like to share my tasting notes of some of the nice wines that we had.

The first wine was 2004 Hendry Block 7 Zinfandel. A deep, inky purple, the wine resonated with notes of rich summer berries, vanilla, flowers, spice, pepper, and dark fruit. Silky and luscious, it had a rich mouthfeel and was quite the toothstainer. Tannins were well-integrated, and the structure would stand up well to barbeque, although all we had were noshes.

The second wine was one of those from my treasure trove: 2000 Vergenoegd Estate Grown Shiraz from South Africa. This was truly unusual upon opening. I opened it well in advance because I knew from experience that this bruiser needs at least three hours decanting time. The cork was incredibly difficult to remove from the bottle, but oh man! The wine end of the cork was nearly black and earned a couple of double takes. A small sample was poured immediately into a glass before the rest was upended into a decanter.

This wine has the potential for aging. With barely an age ring, the rich purple/red/garnet color belies its eight years. The first sip was exactly as I had expected – funky, astringent, muddled, with the unmistakable terroir of South Africa on the nose and palate. There was an odd, solvent-like character to the nose. I contended with raised eyebrows from the dubious.

Fast forward three hours.

The harsh qualities I mentioned were gone. Instead, we had a rich, young wine with character and body. A big wine, the Vergenoed had surprising fruit, with plum and cassis on the front, and spices, including Asian spice, cedar, vanilla, pepper and black cherry, all integrated together in a complex and satisfying whole. All of this, coupled with that distinctive South African bacony, banana-y terroir and essence weaving through the experience, gave this wine a certain, indefinable *something.* A definite food wine, it went well with perfectly seasoned veal sausage and chunky avocado salad. Easily the wine of the night.

I only have one bottle of the Vergenoed left and hope to open that one in 2010. What a nice wine! It shows much better now than it did several years ago when it went through the usual tasting assessment in one of the mega-wine magazines. Just like the 2000 Robert Young Scion, it received an 88 at release, but could easily be scored well into the 90s at this time. A truly good wine benefits from a few extra years of bottle age. I’ve never seen anything so true before.

Prager Portworks is a small winery in Napa that specializes in, well, *Port*! Along with some Lindt 85% chocolate, this port shone! This was a NV (that means non-vintage to y’all Neophytes!) Petit Sirah Port. Cherries, strawberries, sweet spice, and dark fruit showcased this wine, and drunk alongside such a dark, bitter chocolate, the Port absolutely shone.

None of these wines was cheap; each one retails (if you can find them) at prices ranging from $32.00 to about $40.00. Worth it? If I could find and afford it, I’d get another case of the Vergenoed. Who knew it’d age so well!

Life’s too short to drink bad wine. So when you get the good stuff, it’s time to celebrate!

Good-bye to an old friend, Classes, Subscriptions, and Wine Walk

2008-01-29T21:40:00.001-08:00

There’s so much to report this week, that I don’t know where to start!

What do you want to hear first? The bad news or the good news?

Let’s start with the bad news.

Jimmy’s Café is now closed. I am incredibly upset, not only because it means the end of the cutest little café in the city, but also because of the loss of the fabulous wine club, the Sunday brunch, and (my favorite) The Crossings tri-tip salad. Along with a glass of Pinot Noir, it was ethereal and perfect. Jimmy is very busy right now (I understand that a golf course made him an offer he couldn’t refuse), and just couldn’t do everything at once. All he needed was 48-hour days. Sometimes the toughest decisions are, well, *tough* to make. The wonderful restaurant stands empty and we are all the poorer because of it.

Best of luck to Jimmy with his future endeavors and here’s hoping that he’ll find the time (ha!) to open another restaurant in the future. We love you! Now what the heck am I going to do for those days when I want a Sunday brunch?!?

Next, a request to my readers.

SUBSCRIBE!!! Somewhere on the right-hand side of this Blog is a place where you can go to subscribe. Please do it and help me reduce my spam-level mailing every week! It will also help justify the money I’m paying each month to have a service manage my mailings and subscriptions! Thanks.

And now for the good news!

The Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! classes are really rockin’! I can’t believe how much fun we’re having and great everything is going. There’s always something different in each class!

I’m always being asked if each class is truly different from the other. Yes, they are. For instance, last week’s class was on bottles, bottle shapes, opening, pouring, storing, etc., wine. Next week’s classes will be different. Considerably. Let’s just say that lots of sniffing with actual specimens is involved.

You may have noticed that I used the word “classes.” As in plural. Yeah, I did.

Thanks to Khoury’s Fine Wine and Spirits, there will be a class on Tuesday, February 4, at the South Durango store. It is the basic, beginning Swirl Envy class. Wednesday’s class is still at our base camp, Valley Cheese and Wine (the Stinky Cheese store) where we began this fun endeavor. We are looking to expand to make the classes available to more wine Neophytes in the Valley. Stay tuned for more locations and classes!

Check out the link to Local Wine Events for more information!

Next week I will be talking about more stuff in Vegas which I had intended to do this week, but the closure of Jimmy’s Café really surprised and saddened me. We’ll get back to regular stuff next week.

By the way, I joined the local wine meetup (http://www.meetup.com) in order to learn more about local tastings, home and vendor events, and other wine-related stuff. When you go the site, just do a "wine" lookup based on your local zip code. I haven't attended an event yet, but it looks like it's a lot of fun! What a great way to meet other wine folks in the local area!

Oh yeah! I almost forgot. If you participated in the Wine Walks for the last couple of years or so, you will be happy to learn that they are no longer going to be at Lake Las Vegas. Beginning in April, the Wine Walk will be in The District in Henderson. Woo Hoo! That’s so much closer for me, especially since I live in the NW valley. As I get more information, I will report it, and I encourage you to participate since it’s for a good cause. “Good Cause” means that it helps kids. Pay money, drink wine, help kids who need it. What’s better than that?

Later!

Relationships, Aussies in the House, Classes, and a Cute Story

2008-01-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

Several people have noticed that although there are many, many restaurants, wine-based stores, shops, etc., in Las Vegas, there are only a few that are showcased here. “Why is that?” they wonder. Well, it’s pretty simple.

All of the local places here aren’t just businesses – they’re relationships. In each and every one there are real people who greet you, offer assistance, deal with you honestly, and are always appreciative for the business you bring, even if it’s just a little.

The restaurants we love offer great food and wine choices with fair prices. I have yet to have a negative experience at any of the restaurants that I’ve linked to, and I doubt if it will ever happen because of their love and passion for the business.

Our retailer friends are the same. Not only do they have great selections and fair prices, but also the owners/proprietors are very knowledgeable about what they have to offer. I have tried more wines on the recommendations I’ve received at the shops than I probably would have ever tried on my own. They often recommend wines that have been off the Wine Spectator/Wine Enthusiast radar. The bad thing about that is the effect on my budget. Oh well.

My love for Paso Robles is well known by the regulars on this Blog, of course. The wonderful winemakers with the laid-back, friendly attitudes who are so generous with their knowledge and their wine are now a relative rarity in the “real” “Wine Country.” The warmth and love there are almost addictive, and I can’t wait until I get up there again!

Here’s a shout out to Elliot Pemberton, who, along with his father-in-law, Jim Lambert of Stanley-Lambert Winery, did a whirlwind tasting of their expanded line at our favorite local places this weekend. I was only able to make it to the tasting at Marché Bacchus, and discovered an incredible cab, their new Silent Partner Cabernet Sauvignon. While it’s not in my budget yet, you can be sure that I will be grabbing a bottle as soon as I can! Great seeing you, guys, and thanks for the terrific wines!

The first Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! class for 2008 had its launch last week at Valley Cheese and Wine, and what a great time we had! This season is starting out to be a fun one, and the plans are in place for even more. Last week concentrated primarily on swirl basics, touched briefly on wine racism, defined Swirl Envy, and described gender issues in spitting.

In the next class we’ll be talking about bottles, closures, corkscrews, pouring, and storing wine. Lots of hands-on show and tell! And swirling, of course! And I now have something special for those who sign up and pre-pay through PayPal via this Blog. If you do, you will receive a raffle ticket in class for a chance to win a wine-related item – either a book, some other wine accessory, or a piece of Vegas Wineaux Gear™!

There are more classes coming up in February, and those will be posted shortly. By the way, several of my co-workers, students, and friends have discovered VC&W and affectionately call it the "Stinky Cheese Place." They love the cheeses there, and realize that Kristin is there to educate them on artisanal cheeses, which have character and complexity. She's not really a "pusher." :-)

There’s a little story I’d like to share with you at the insistence of one of my friends. It’s definitely not wine-related, but I love it when things like this happen.

On Christmas night, my family and I (Mom, Aunt Joyce and cousin Byron) went out for our annual dinner, but decided to do something a little different by going to the buffet at the Wynn. I won’t go through the annoyance of standing in line for such a long period; it made Disneyland lines seem like a blink in comparison.

There was a dad and his kids in line in front of me. They were Asian, and as far as I could tell, couldn’t speak English – at least not very well. We nodded and smiled, and I played Tetris on my cell phone while passing the time. After a while I noticed a weight on my left leg. One of the man’s sons, a little boy of about, say, six or seven, was slowly losing the battle to stay awake. He had one arm wrapped around my leg, and he nodded and dozed while leaning against me. I reached down to hold him there and he snuggled against the soft fabric of my jeans and slipped into sleep. Talk about a hand around my heart! This little guy had had it and needed a nice soft place to nap. The dad turned around and the universal look of embarrassment raced across his face. I smiled at him and waved him away. We were going to be standing in the same spot for quite some time, and I just reveled in the feel of a little one depending upon me for comfort.

As was inevitable, the line started to move and the dad reached down to pick up his now soundly sleeping son. We smiled and he undid the latch on the stanchion and took his other sons out of the line. The spell was broken, but what a warm and wonderful memory.

And no, we didn’t get to eat that night. After a 90-minute wait in a line that snaked outside of the buffet in the hallway, there was an additional 90-minute wait once we got into the buffet itself. We threw in the towel and finally ended up eating pretzels at the Rio. But that’s another story.

More on wines next week!

CSE-Lite! Class, Paso Robles Tasting, and Wine on Tap!

2008-01-14T22:31:00.001-08:00

By the time you get to read this (at least for many of you) the Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! class will be taking place Tuesday evening at Valley Cheese and Wine in Henderson. We’ll be tackling the subjects of Swirling, Sniffing, Sipping and Spitting, the proper way to handle a wine glass, basic wine/food pairing information, winespeak, and the Ten Commandments of wine tasting. I hope that your curiosity leads you to join us one future evening!

If you weren’t at the Paso Robles wine tasting at Vino 100 on Friday evening, then you missed something pretty special. I had planned to be there right at 5:30, the scheduled starting time. Silly me, I forgot that it’s rush hour and didn’t actually arrive there till about 5:35. At first, the tightly-packed parking lot confused me. Then I realized…Paso fans are out there!!

It was almost literally shoulder-to-shoulder as everyone jockeyed for position in order to taste the rich and delicious Paso wines. Palm Cellars was represented, as was Opolo, Linne Calodo, Adelaida, Garretson, L'Aventure, Tobin James, and Villa Creek. Let’s hear a giant YUM!! I met lots of people there, and we shared our Paso stories. I also learned a bit about a few obscure wineries with ethereal wines, and will be sure to visit them next time I’m up there. For a Paso junkie like me, it was pure heaven. The 45 minutes I had planned to stay turned into two hours before I knew what happened. As the last of the people reluctantly and slowly departed, I finally gave the last good-bye hugs and trundled out, tired, happy, with a full camera and a bottle of Mtn. Zin tucked under my arm. Phooey on the budget!

OF COURSE I took pictures! Lots of them! I knew there was no way that I could put all of the pictures on the Blog, so I made a slide show for everyone to see. Here is the “hidden” page for those who want to remember the fun experience, or for those who want to see what they missed. Feel free to share the link with anyone!

http://www.vegaswineaux.com/Vino100_Paso.html

After weeks of being too busy to even breathe, I finally got to stop at Marché Bacchus for their Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting on Saturday. Wow, what changes! They now have a beautiful, marble-topped wine bar with 20 wines on vacuum tap. There are 1 oz, 3 oz, and 5 oz pours available from some very nice, high-end wines. It’s the perfect solution for someone who wants to try an expensive bottle, but who may want to try the wine first before parting with the big bucks. According to Rhonda, the wines will be changing on a regular basis, keeping the selection fresh.

By the way, the new pictures of the wine bar will be updated on the website shortly.

Next week, more about local tastings and events. Las Vegas is quite the wine town!

Restaurant Rants & Raves. And more exploration into ethnic food variety.

2008-01-06T22:28:00.001-08:00

I have to tell you that you must read this all the way through because there are gems throughout. This week’s entry is (in my not so humble opinion) something special.

Let’s start with the rants.

I had already decided to do a New Year rant regarding my usual beefs about restaurants when my wine club had an interesting experience at Envy, the Steakhouse. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Envy did something that was off of my usual radar, and they did it with panache and pure stupidity.

The great thing about Vegas is that there are many restaurants here that offer world-class food and service. The bad thing is that these restaurants do way too well because of the fact that over 30,000,000 people come through here annually, and they don’t have to worry about taking care of locals. This week’s wine dinner was a perfect example of company policy taking precedence over customer service.

Envy advertised their half-price on wine dinner, and my group took advantage of it on Wednesday evening. Perfect. Day after New Year's. The food was great, the service exemplary, and wine list and wines were extraordinary. So what happened that made the entire group decide not to patronize Envy ever again?

It came down the check.

Half price is supposed to be half price, right? Not if Envy is doing fuzzy figuring. With only seven people in the party, *technically* the restaurant was not supposed to add on 20% gratuity. I believe that eight diners is the standard number. But they did. And they added it on the entire balance, and took off the price of the wine after the fee had been assessed. In addition, they somehow neglected to deduct the $50.00 gift certificate. So the group ended up spending 31% gratuity on the meal instead of 20% because of "company policy." The result? Seven angry people who spent $100+ each who will never frequent the restaurant again. With the numbers of people coming through Las Vegas, I'm pretty certain that Envy doesn't care that a group of locals got annoyed. Because this isn't the first time I've heard about Envy's money-grubbing policies, I've decided to forego visiting them at any time.

And now for something much more pleasant! I wanted to talk about one of my now favorite restaurants.

STEAK is located on the far end of Henderson on 76 W. Horizon Ridge near the Horizon Ridge exit of the 95S. Or it may be 515 at that point. At any rate, I had decided that I needed to have dinner there so that I could put a link (or not) on the Blog so that people could find another place to eat.

David Dror is the owner, and he has a wonderful establishment there.

Every Saturday afternoon there's a wine tasting. Extraordinary wines, great tasting. This week's tasting was Four Vines. And nearly all of their portfolio was there. 2006 Naked Chardonnay, Maverick, the Sophisticate, Heretic, Anarchy, Dusi, and a new one for me, the Peasant, which is a Rhône blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Counnoise, and Tannat. What's Tannat? Apparently it has characteristics similar to Cabernet. It all adds up to delicious.

Michael decided to join me for dinner, and were we ever in for a treat! Wow!

The bread appetizer came with Olive Purée, Red Pepper Purée, and Olive Oil/Balsamic dip. It was beautifully presented. The appetizer was beef tartare with an unusual seasoning that hinted of lime.

I had a "Baseball" steak along with grilled asparagus and sautéed mushrooms. Michael had the 18oz NY Strip with steamed veggies (still crunchy!) and the mushrooms.

Dessert was a Chocolate Mousse cake that was almost ethereal. How good was all of this food? There was nothing left over. We were good kids who cleaned our plates! We chose the Peasant as the wine, and it was a perfect match not only with the beef, but there was enough left over to show that it also paired quite well with the chocolate!

The restaurant itself was a surprise. There's a view that will rival Panevino, which is world-famous for its fabulous view. Since it's in Henderson, its view is not as close up and personal, but it's still breathtaking. I will be posting some pictures in the VegasPics section of the website. Take a look, and be sure to stop by one Saturday to enjoy the wines and stay for a great dinner and beautiful view!

Oh. And one more very important thing. David has the same philosophy as Marché Bacchus: Regular retail price for wine and only $10.00 corkage. That alone will have me visiting again and again as my budget allows. No restaurant wine price ripoffs here!

And now for more rants!

Things that restaurants do that irritate me to no end:

When I pay my bill, don't ask me if I want or need any change back. Hell yeah I want my change back! If I give you a $50.00 bill for a $12.00 check, you can be SURE that I want my change back. Don't even ask. Just bring it.
With that being said, I want ALL of my change back! Whoever came up with the annoying (and larcenous) practice of giving me only my bills and keeping the coin? Pisses me off and that is reflected in the tip I leave. Or not.
Don't give me a bunch of singles! Sheesh! Give me my change in large bills. As far as I'm concerned, if you left me a ton of one dollar bills, then you aren't expecting much. Instead of the $5.00 I was going to leave, I guess I'll just leave three.
While I appreciate wine service, somebody has to learn how to pour wine into a glass correctly. I prefer a tasting or short pour -- about two to four ounces -- because I'm a swirl fiend. Can't do it with the wine halfway (or more) up the glass.

And, yes, I do have rants about us customers.

Leave a tip. If you had good service, then leave a good tip! This is assuming that you aren't being gouged as the Envy incident above indicates.
Ask the sommelier for help, and for goodness sake, don't drink Chardonnay with your steak or lamb! Retch.
Learn how to use chopsticks!! Nothing says *I'm ignorant* more than using a fork in an Asian restaurant. Chopsticks are easy, and the first awkward attempts are appreciated more than insisting on using a fork no matter what.

I have more somewhere in the transoms of my mind, but I didn't want to use all the space in rant time.

And now for my fun adventures in exploring cuisines of other cultures. If you've been following my food adventures, you know that I have little shyness about trying new cuisines. Well, I've discovered Vietnamese food. More accurately, I've discovered Pho, a Vietnamese staple that is broth-based. It is a wonderful soup, and the broth is so fragrant that you can't help but to drool. I found a little restaurant along Spring Mountain just east of Jones called Pho Sai Gon 8, which is Vietnamese. Is it good? I've been there a couple of times and it's been packed with Vietnamese! I think you can't find a better compliment than that of any ethnic restaurant!

Pho consists of fragrant broth and rice noodles. You can then add just about anything you want and it is a filling, long-lasting meal. Because in another life I was related to Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods, I went all out and had the Pho Chín Nąm Gâu Gân Sách, which along with the broth and noodles, also contains lean meat, flank, brisket, soft tendon and tripe. It also comes with fresh basil, finely chopped green onlons, bean sprouts, hot peppers, hot sauce (house-made, I believe), and fresh limes. Because I did takeout, I was in for quite a surprise, because all of the ingredients are separate from the broth. Once home, I found a big bowl, put in all of the ingredients (except for the spicy items), and then poured the broth over. Incredibly good, filling, and so satisfying as to last for hours. Delicious. I am now addicted to this wonderful soup and will be there regularly! Fresh ingredients, tasty food, all for about $7.00. Can't get better than that.

Have a great week! We'll be talking about classes, Wine Down Wednesday, and Paso next time!

Hug Cellars Winemaker Tasting at My Home!

2007-12-31T00:52:00.001-08:00

First of all, I’d like report that due to the overwhelming response to the new look of the website (average opinion: “Eww”), it’s been changed to something less, well, *vivid*! Brighter colors are still there, but it’s definitely easier to read. There’s also some information about upcoming services and the new logo.

And now for the main event: the report of the Hug Cellars Winemaker’s tasting at my home on Saturday evening, December 29. What a fabulous time!

The event was set up in just a few days primarily through MySpace and email. Augie Hug of Hug Cellars contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in having Edgar Torres, his assistant winemaker, stop by to showcase Hug Cellars wines. I hesitated all of, say, 1.5 seconds before I said yes. Edgar and I messaged through MySpace and got everything set up. I then contacted the Tex & Fritz Wine Club thing to invite them. I felt that those who were most knowledgeable about wines would be the best for the tasting. And was I ever right!

I don’t even know where to begin. Edgar brought nine wines, I broke out my last Casa Mireles Rosé – yes, it’s a Hug wine – and we had several pre- and post-wines to enjoy as well.

Augie is all about quality. I found it interesting that he purposely keeps his production small because he is able to be more intimately involved in the process.

Hug Cellars is looking to place its wines in the Las Vegas area. Why? Because Las Vegas residents make up nearly 20% of its wine club! Locals who visit Paso Robles and who are savvy enough to find Hug’s tiny tasting room almost inevitably join the club. It’s easy to understand why. The wines are uniformly rich, delicious, and correct for the varietal. That’s why I’m a member!

So Edgar’s trip was to serve several purposes: first and foremost, it was a vacation for him and his wife, Erika. Second, to share the wines with a group of experienced wine lovers who may not be familiar with the wines of Paso Robles – particularly Hug Cellars - and the third thing was to get in touch with a distributor who would be enthusiastic and work hard for a small winery.

Many questions were posed to Edgar, and I actually got to hear some of them. Hostessing is hard work, you know! And, I might add, the NY Giants/NE Patriots game was on at the same time and was somewhat distracting. NE won, by the way. But I digress.

One of the questions asked was if Hug Cellars owns its own vineyards. The answer was no. They own the grapes in various vineyards, but not the vineyards themselves. They work with the growers on how to care for the grapes (pruning, feeding, irrigating, etc.), so that they can control the quality for their particular style of winemaking. If a grower doesn’t do what is asked of him or is less than cooperative, then that grower loses Hug as a principal.

Another question was about the barrels. While I had heard that they were expensive, I didn’t realize just how expensive they really are. Edgar told us about Augie’s experience in buying up a bunch of barrels and the fact that they are well over $1000 each. Wow. And remember, they can’t be used indefinitely and have to be replaced as they lose their newness and oak character.

I will list the wines below, but if you want to see the bottles, then just check out the special hidden page I placed on my website just for the Blog readers! It is located at:

www.vegaswineaux.com/Hug.html

There is a picture slide show there that shows the wines, bottles, and folks who were at my home. If this does not click through for you, then just copy and paste the web info into your address field in your browser. When you get to the page and hover your mouse over the thumbnails, you will see a written description of that particular picture. There are only about two dozen pics - I kept forgetting to take pictures because we were having such a good time. All of the wines are described on the Hug Cellars website except for those that I describe below:

2006 Cedar Lane Vineyard
Arroyo Seco
Viognier

2005 Casa Mireles
Romanze
San Luis Obispo County
Rosé Wine
This was my last bottle and I just had to share it with everyone. This is an interesting blend of Syrah with just a touch of Pinot. Roses, strawberries, cherries, with a touch of watermelon. It was great hearing everyone analyze the wines!

2006 Paso Robles
Pinot Noir

2006 Rancho Ontiveros
Santa Maria Valley
Pinot Noir
This had to be decanted because it’s so rich and so big. Delicious! The complete descriptions and accompanying accolades are on the Hug Cellars website.

2005 E2dgar
Garnacha (Grenache)
100% Grenache, this is Edgar’s own creation using Denner Vineyard grapes. I got dark berries, spice, pepper, and a rich but silky mouthfeel.

2005 E2
66% Denner Grenache and 34% Cedar Lane Vineyard Syrah.
This one made me bring out the lamb! The Syrah added punch to the Grenache, making this a wonderful blend with Chateauneuf-de-Pape character. Full-bodied, rich, fruity, with enough earthiness to keep it interesting. It was terrific with the lamb!

2006 Paso Robles
Syrah

2005 Bassetti Vineyard
Rena Block
San Luis Obispo County
Syrah

2006 Paso Robles
Zinfandel

And then there were the pre- and after-wines:

2004 Jacob’s Creek
Reserve
Shiraz
This was rated 90-something by Wine Spectator and for about eight bucks at Costco, is quite the deal. Perfect quality/price for a house wine! I had opened it the night before and had a glass, so there was quite a bit left for the early arrivals to share. It maintained its character, and showed beautifully.

Domaine LaFond
Roc-Epine
Lirac
2003
This was a French (surprise!) wine, and while no one had any idea what grapes are in the blend, it is absolutely delicious. This was the other pre-wine. Thanks to Mike and Allisa.

Quinta Dos Quatro Ventos
Douro Colheita de 2004
Fritz and Annie brought this one and I wish I could tell you how it tasted, but it was scarfed in no time! Apparently, it was quite good!

2003 Robert Hall
Vintage Port
Paso Robles
This was ideal with some Stilton (yes, *British* Stilton!) that had warmed slightly. The classic pairing!

All of the food was wonderful, and except for a slight fireplace mishap (damn damper!) the evening went flawlessly. Thanks to everyone who was able to come, and a special, heart-felt thanks to Augie and Edgar. I can’t wait to do it again!

There’s a New Baby Wineaux in the House! WDW, Paso Robles meets NYT, Pinot at Steak, Khoury’s Scores a Coup - Whew!

2007-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

I really don’t know where to begin!

The festive news is that Elliot had a baby! Well, not exactly *Elliot* (he was just the coach), but he and his wife Kari are the parents of a new baby girl, 7 lbs, 10 oz of healthy sweetness. Her name is Siri, and please join me in congratulating the Pembertons on their new arrival! Great job, Kari!

Elliot is the owner of Pemberton Distribution Company and son-in-law of Jim Stanley of Stanley Lambert wines of Australia. So, yeah. The kid has wine running through her veins.

I had another GREAT time at the last Wine Down Wednesday of the year! As usual, the appetizers were wonderful and the wine was flowing. Last week’s wines – for those of you who missed it – were Rosenblum. The Viognier, Syrah, and Zinfandel were the stars of the evening. Wine Down Wednesday is on hiatus for the holiday, but watch here or on the KSNE website for upcoming dates!

I was surprised to receive a nice note from Monica Villicana (Villicana winery in Paso Robles) regarding an article that had been written in the New York Times about the Next Great Wine Region in California. The Villicana’s winery had been mentioned briefly (hey! It’s still publicity!), and they were stoked that the region had been recognized by such a global presence. I read the article and was jumping for joy, too! As you may know, Robert Parker glowed about the area in the October issue of Food & Wine, and it’s been steadily uphill ever since. Paso Robles is a region that has been long in the shadow of the Napa/Sonoma juggernaut, but I’m happy to see that their wines are gaining the respect that they so richly deserve. Click here to read the article (you may have to sign up for a free account – it’s worth it!) and rejoice with me!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy one of the tastings at Steak in Henderson, then you’ve been missing out on a real treat. David Droz, the owner, chooses which wines to pour at any given Saturday, and they’re always good. This week’s offerings were the Pinot Noirs of Siduri Winery and two Syrahs from Novy Winery. Siduri has received accolades for its Pinots, and it was easy to understand why. David poured five, including the Terra de Promissio, Van der Kamp, and their much-heralded Gary’s Vineyard. Although the Gary’s was stellar, I liked the Van de Kamp just a tad more, with its almost ethereal silky mouthfeel, a bit more body, and a bit more fruit on the nose. The Novy Syrahs – one from Sonoma and one from Napa – were delicious. I preferred the Napa Syrah over the Sonoma.

After leaving Steak, I headed up the road to Valley Cheese and Wine who has tastings from noon to four. Bob loves French wines, and was pouring five (I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong). The standout of the group for me was the Chardonnay, which at $16.00 easily rivaled anything more expensive out of Napa. And, no, it wasn’t a white Burgundy! I will contact Bob to get the particulars on this wine, but it was delicious!

Khoury’s has Susan!! Who’s Susan, you ask? She is the Wine Diva/Goddess of Las Vegas. Susan worked for years for Lee’s Discount, and I discovered early on that she has incredible, magical knowledge of wines. Well, she was moved from the Lee’s at Buffalo and Lake Mead to the one at Flamingo and Ft. Apache and I didn’t get to see her as much. When they moved her to the main warehouse, well, wine life without Susan’s vast knowledge just wasn’t fun.

So a Sunday visit to Khoury’s to set up CSE classroom space turned into a news flash when I learned that Issa’s new employee is Susan! Woo hoo! She will be dividing her time between the two stores. As I get more information, I will share it. And for those of you who are asking, no I don’t know Susan’s last name (actually I *did,* but it slipped out of my brain cell) but will be sure to update you as soon as I can. I can just *feel* an interview coming on!

Here's another reminder to Friend Me Up! I have had some amazing things happening on MySpace, and I'd love to see you there! I will tell you more (yes, this is meant to be mysterious!) next week.

In the meantime, may you all enjoy a great Holiday Season. Stay safe, and tune in next week when I’ll be writing about a very special event!

UPDATE!!

I stopped by Khoury's Durango this afternoon ("Madhouse" can be a verb when we're talking about Christmas Eve), and who should be there but Susan! Of course we screamed, hugged, etc. She's very happy to be at Khoury's and loves the atmosphere, the caliber of the wonderful wine customers, and couldn't be happier!

By the way, her last name is Kaumans. Pronounced "Commons." When you're in the area, stop by and ask for Susan and meet one of the nicest, most knowledgeable wine folks you'll ever see!

Updates, Boon for Seniors, and Classes!

2007-12-16T19:19:00.001-08:00

Since being static is something I’m clearly not into, I’m happy to announce still yet another change. Not only with the Blog – as you can clearly see – but also with the website as well.

Because wine is bright and happy, I felt that I needed to bring in some wine-bright colors to make everything cheery. But the changes aren’t just cosmetic; there are also some changes in content as well. The long-promised “Logo Links” page is finally up and running. If you are a wine-related business who wants to have your logo on the Vegas Wineaux site, please send it to me and I will post it! Thanks to everyone who sent a logo – it makes for a colorful page! Just about every page has been updated, and a few new ones have been added. Check out the website at http://www.vegaswineaux.com.

Needless to say, this has been quite a tiring week for me. Last week’s vertical was fun, exciting, and exhausting! I’m happy to say that everyone had a wonderful time, and that Robert Young Estates Winery is jumping with joy over the outcome of the tasting. Lots of fun, with great wine, great food, and even better company. I think I may recover shortly.

I found something on the Vino 100 page that made me jump for joy and I had to go to visit the girls (Theresa and Natalie) to make sure that it was true. They have a new Sophisticated Seniors Monday discount in place. Everyone 55 years of age or better will receive a 10% discount on any purchase on Mondays. According to Theresa, although it appears to be a promotion just for December, it will more than likely be permanent. Nice little break for those of us who are budgetarily impaired (I made that up) during the holiday season.

Classes are scheduled! The first Combatting Swirl Envy classes are scheduled at Valley Cheese and Wine through March, with other classes in SW and NW Las Vegas upcoming. The exact dates are still being ironed out, but stay tuned for updates!

This week’s entry has to be pretty short because I’m just about computer’d out. With the updates the Blog, the website, and running around in a scheduling frenzy, I think I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine and relax in front of the tv.

You all have a great week!

THE Vertical. Robert Young Estates Winery Scion Shines

2007-12-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

The first thing I have to do is to thank Issa and Nura Khoury for introducing me to Scion a couple (or more) years ago. It was in late 2004 that they had a tasting at their store on Eastern – which was their only location at the time – and one of the wines was the Scion. I remember tasting it and being blown away. I promptly ordered a couple of bottles, and the rest, as they say, was history.

I had planned for this vertical for quite some time. As a member of the wine club, I was in the unique position of acquiring this wine on a regular basis, and I knew I had to share it with my friends when the opportunity arose. I used Evite to invite a few people who I knew were real fans of great Bordeaux blends and only regret that I was only able to accommodate a small portion of the people I wanted to be there.

So how did the tasting go? You be the judge!

Thanks to Kelly Pafford of Robert Young Estates Winery for supplying literature and Wine Club apps for the tasting. It was wonderful having the winery so involved with their members’ activities.

There were five years served. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. The first thing that should be stated at the front is that each and every one of these vintages was fabulous. Here are comments from everyone as we poured and paired during the evening:

Decanted for little over 30 minutes, the 1999 was a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc. Velvety on the tongue, it displayed earth, cigar box, black cherries, plums, and just a touch of smoke. The tannins had integrated well into the wine and gave the wine an old-world character. There were nods all around as everyone sipped away! This almost tied with the 2000 as the second Wine of the Night.

The 2000 was decanted for the same period of time as the 1999 and had a completely different flavor profile! It is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot. Wow! was the sound heard as everyone tasted this. The aroma was richer than the ‘99, with black cherries, tobacco, plums, and pepper. Almost Syrah-like in character, it had a rich, velvety mouthfeel, well-integrated tannins, and lots of dark fruit. It also had the earth, cocoa, and leather you’d expect from this type of blend with this age. In my personal opinion, age has done wonders for this wine and it has far outstripped the ’99 and is ready to drink now, although it has some years left to go. This was the second Wine of the Night.

The 2001 was decanted little more than an hour. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot, it displayed the tannins, dark fruit, and body you’d expect from a wine with this much high-quality Cabernet in the blend. However, even with this much Cab in the mix, it wasn’t a big tannic bruiser, but offered a velvety mouthfeel, tobacco, and earth.

Decanted for 90 minutes, the 2002, a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc, showed its youth in its profile of black cherries, currants, plums, tobacco, and black raspberries. Silky in the mouth, it is as good as it gets.

There is no doubt that the 2003, with its blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot was the star of the evening. Talk about a Grand Slam! Equal to anything that may come out of Napa, it had big fruit (but it was not a fruit bomb), smoke, integrated tannins and balanced acid, earth, cocoa, tobacco, and more. Take THIS Opus One and Insignia! The 2003 easily kicks the big boys’ collective butts and shines in the process. Fritz Reese, our own personal sommelier and wine educator, declared that this was easily the Wine of the Night, and I agreed with him. While the aroma, flavor profile, structure, and mouthfeel shine now, we can only imagine how it will be in a few years. Wow. What a great wine. And at about $50.00 a bottle, a decided bargain, especially during these days of overpriced Napa Cabernet “stars” from the so-called cult wineries.

All of these wines possessed beautiful noses, silky mouthfeel, well-integrated tannins, good acid balance, complex mid-palates, and a beautiful, long, lingering finish. There wasn’t a bomb in the group, and the age of the 1999 and 2000 brought out subtle traits that are not yet apparent in the 2001, 2002, or the 2003.

The 1999 and 2000 were served with pot roast and baby Yukon Gold potatoes. Because of their age, I did not want to overwhelm them with a lot of spices. The pot roast was the perfect choice and, well, pretty much disappeared.

I served my “famous” smoked brisket with the younger wines, and because of it having been smoked with a dry rub (secret ingredients and all!) it had more complex, assertive flavors than the pot roast. Once again, it was a great match with the more fruit-forward characteristics of the younger wines.

My goal for 2008 is to acquire more Scion! I loved these wines just as much now as I did when I first tasted it at Khoury’s and am a fan for life. While the budget will whimper during these purchases, I’d love to have another vertical in a couple of years so that more of my friends can enjoy the pleasure of drinking these beautiful wines.

Thanks, Robert Young Estates! And thanks to everyone who attended, brought food, and had the opportunity to sip on these wines. A rare treat that I can't wait to repeat!

Wine Down Wednesday. Thanks KSNE! That’s Sunny 106.5 FM!

2007-12-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sitting at the top of the world in Romance at the Stratosphere where Wine Down Wednesday is currently held, I was fortunate enough to find a table that overlooked what I call the Strip "Money Shot." All of the big houses were in their glory – from the Mandalay Bay in the distance to the Hilton at my feet – and it was like being a tourist again. Sorry folks, but if you are a local and deny yourself the pleasure of the views that this city has to offer, then you are forgetting why this is one of the most famous cities with one of the most famous skylines in the world. In other words, you might as well be in Dubuque if you can’t appreciate and enjoy the sights and excitement of (fabulous) Las Vegas. No offense meant to anyone who’s in Dubuque, but Dubuque is not Las Vegas!

As I sit here and wait for my coworker to join me, I am struck by the almost surreal feeling that I actually *live* here. (excuse the shift to the present tense) What a stroke of luck! While we do have “growing pains” problems to deal with, there’s no place like Vegas, Baby!

And now I’m here, taking in this incredible, magnificent view, enjoying the FREE wine and amazingly tempting appetizers – hand-passed, no less – and pinching myself. What a rush!

Mirassou wines were the star of the night, with the recent releases of the Riesling, Chardonnay, and (yum) Pinot Noir being poured. As always, it was quite busy, but I’m pretty sure that everyone managed to have a glass of each.

The Riesling was minerally, semi-dry, and yet was still fruit forward. The Chardonnay likewise was crisp, clean, and tasted as if it had seen just a touch of oak. The giveaway creaminess was there, but it was very well matched to the green-apple acidity.

And then there was the Pinot Noir (hear angels singing in the background). The typical Pinot Noir nose was there; in other words, it *smelled* like Pinot. My coworker, Jana, said that it smelled like velvet and cherries. Excellent description! Surprisingly crisp acidity and balance for its price point, it proved that it is a food-friendly wine.

Of course the Vegas Wineaux (that would be me) would have one criticism about the event when it comes to wine etiquette. The pourers tried their best to fill up the tiny wine glasses to the brim instead of doing a correct pour, which really made it difficult to enjoy the nuances of the wine until a sizable amount had been sipped away. However, with the number of people asking for full glasses and the time constraints, that’s certainly understandable.

Melanie and Michael tout this event daily during their morning show from 5:00 to 10:00 a.m. on 106.5. WDW takes place at various locations throughout the valley (currently at the Stratosphere), from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on, well, *Wednesday,* of course!

Come down at least once, mingle, rub elbows with the local radio celebrities, drink wine, eat incredible appetizers, and, most of all, take in the view. What better reminder can there be than to view the reason why many of us moved here to begin with. This is VEGAS, Baby!

CSE Classes, Wine Down Wednesdays, and Exploring Other Cultures

2007-12-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

First, let’s get the classes out of the way!

There are six classes scheduled for the first quarter of 2008 so far, with several more to be added. We will have classes in the Southwest area, Henderson, and are ready to schedule classes for the Northwest area. All of these will be the Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! classes. We are also looking for a large enough venue for the Neophyte to Wine Snob course. How about a wine course that’s wineless? I can see raised eyebrows from here! Stay tuned for more!

I can’t tell you how much fun I had at the Wine Down Wednesday event last week at the Stratosphere. It was sponsored by KSNE-FM, Sunny 106.5, and was more fun than you can imagine! I got to meet Melanie (in the morning), along with the management staff of the station. We talked the basics of combating swirl envy, and I took the opportunity to give a few lessons!

If you’d like to join this fun event, it takes place at 6:00 p.m. in Romance at the top of the world in the Stratosphere, and it is free. With hors d’oeuvres, wines, music, and company, it definitely worth your while to visit. Yes, I know it’s on the dreaded Strip, the bane of all locals, but, Hey! You get to hang out with more locals!

And before I forget, I want to send a shout out to the Funtimers who were there! The Funtimers is a “mature” singles group, and don’t let the frost on the roof fool ya! These folks know how to really enjoy life and have fun!

Even though this is a wine blog, I have to share more of my Asian food adventures.

This past weekend, I visited two Asian markets, both located on Spring Mountain – one just west of Decatur and one just east of Arville.

The 99 Ranch Market (near Arville) is the older of the two. I have to admit that I was taken aback by a horrible odor when I walked through the doors, but then realized as I turned into the produce area that they had stacks of fresh Durian (click here) front and center. If you haven’t smelled Durian, then you haven’t lived. I understand that the taste of this big, spiky oddity is like creamy, overripe tropical fruit. The smell, on the other hand, is somewhere between rotten onions and smelly feet. Definitely something to be experienced.

The rest of the store smelled great. I picked up several vegetables, including my new favorite purple yams. It was wonderful walking through the aisles and getting a glimpse into what the rest of the world is eating. And as you know, I was thinking about how I could take these wonderful foods and flavors and pair them with the wines I love so much!

The other store that is also located on Spring Mountain in the Pacific Asian Plaza, just west of Decatur. Don’t ask me the name! It doesn’t have as large a produce section, but their meats and fish are incredible. I chose a few items, including some miso, some natto (another acquired taste), and a flappin’ fresh Striped Bass. It cost a little over $3.00. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at another fish counter in a “regular” super market again!

Those are just two of the many ethnic grocery markets in the Las Vegas area. There are many others, and I’m having a great time finding these gems. Zach recently introduced me to a market that specializes in Middle Eastern groceries. I’ll be reviewing that one soon, you can be sure!

I will have more on classes, the magical vertical, and on Wine Down Wednesday (Part Deux) next time! See you then!

Thanksgiving fun! Fried Turkey Mishaps, Purple Sweet Potatoes, and Stir-Fried Miso Collard Greens. Oh yeah … and Wine!

2007-11-25T20:17:00.001-08:00

Okay, so this may be more about food and holiday than about wine, but it’s all related. Really. Trust me!

First, I’ll talk about the wines. Get that out of the way before I knit everything else together.

For an aperitif, Zach (of 2BC fame) brought a Zinfandel that he had purchased from Trader Joe’s. It’s made up of 81% Zinfandel, 17% Petite Sirah, with dashes of Syrah and Carignan. It has aromas of spice, raspberry, and smoke laced with a hint of clove and black pepper. It’s jammy and fruity with not a lot of complexity or finish, but at $5.99, surprisingly good and very, very drinkable. My mom, who “hates” red wines, drank down a glass with gusto. And for those of you who wondered, yes, she swirls quite nicely, thank you. After all, she's the mom of Vegas Wineaux!!

At dinner, we had a white wine, the 2005 Cuevas de Castilla ConClass Rueda, from Spain. This is a blend of 80% verdejo, 10% viura and 10% sauvignon blanc, and pairs beautifully with nicely roasted turkey breast. In fact, it is almost a perfect pairing, with the fruitiness and acidity making a great foil for the sweetness and juiciness of the white meat.

The two Pinot Noirs were also served. One was the 2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir. Man. What a nice wine … especially for $10.99!! First of all, it smells like Pinot is *supposed* to smell! On the nose, you get ripe black cherries, smoke, and a hint of spice. Core flavors of cherry coke, smoke, and plum along with notes of berries along with rounded tannins and crisp, balanced acidity stay with the wine’s surprisingly long finish. This fruitiness and acidity made it a perfect mate to my Cranberries in Port Reduction Sauce and the dark meat of the turkey.

The other Pinot was firmer, darker, and more “grown up.” The 2005 Magnet Pinot Noir has smooth dark fruit flavors and a nice balance of oak influence. The silky mouthfeel (always important to me) showcases flavors of cherries, dark berries, smoke, and earth. Firm tannins and tart acidity cut through the fat of the Thanksgiving meal (even through fried turkey!), and is a definite food wine! Delicious!

The ConClass was purchased at Valley Cheese and Wine and the two Pinots were purchased at Khoury’s. Thanks guys!

And now for the fun. Fortunately, my mother doesn’t own a computer, so I can talk freely here. What a story! She decided about three years ago that we were going to start a new tradition of fried turkey. I hated the idea because I’m trying to cut fried foods (except for stir fried, of course) out of my diet as much as possible. So now we were going to have fried turkey (and the subsequent WEEKS of leftovers!) on a regular basis?!? Now, although my mother is now 86, my female bloodline tends to go well into the mid/upper 90s, so I felt stuck. Fried turkey every year for the next ten or more years? Yikes!

The last two years have been, um, *eventful* to say the least. I won’t talk about her frying the turkey in her apartment. It was truly scary. Or the grease that I finally got scrubbed out of my patio concrete. Once again, a long story.

This year, everything changed!! Aunt Joyce (Mom’s younger sister) bought a turkey that was too big to fit into the fryer, which meant that it had to be fried in two parts. We were looking at eating Thanksgiving dinner late at night! This year, however, having had enough of fried turkey, I had surreptitiously roasted a small, free-range bird. It was properly brined for several hours (sea salt, evaporated cane juice, allspice, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic), rinsed, and slowly roasted. I just happened to mention in passing that I had this bird available, and it was a hit. We were enjoying dinner, wine, and each other’s company while the big bird was frying (and frying and frying and frying) outside. At that time my mother declared that this is the LAST time we’ll ever consider fried turkey. I did the happy dance on my butt!

I did “The” Brisket. It was from Costco, therefore a “company sized” cut, right? Well, I have a piece about 2x5 inches left. Lucky me.

I surprised everyone by baking a purple yam. A staple of Okinawa, it has a beige papery skin and a PURPLE interior! It is creamier than a “regular” garnet yam but still packs plenty of sweetness, and the color is arresting. Aunt Joyce didn’t partake because it wasn’t “normal,” but everyone else dug in with gusto.

The collard greens that I cooked departed (sucked down various gullets and shamelessly stolen from my home, LOL), so I had just enough to “do” something with. Well, I made a Soul Food Asian stir fry starring the collards, Vietnamese tofu, garlic, shallots, choy sum (a variety of bok choy), and Miso. YUMMY! Talk about a melding of cultures!

As you can see, my holiday was fun, and it’s always great to have loved ones around during these special times!

Next entry will be updating you on upcoming classes for 2008, including a wine class with no wine. Huh???? Stay tuned!!

By the way, the fried turkey eventually *did* finish cooking!

Vegas Wineaux Tastes on The Strip!

2007-11-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

A brightly colored email caught my attention, and I decided to follow up on it even though it was located on The Strip, the bane of the locals. Not really – after all, the Strip is our economy’s bread and butter – but in order to be a “true” local, hating the Strip is an intrinsic ritual. For those of you who are not locals, the Strip is Las Vegas Boulevard, which provides the money shot of the casinos in most documentaries/movies/tv programs/Travel Channel, etc., about Las Vegas. But I digress.

Onda Restaurant at the Mirage, as it turns out, has a great wine tasting especially for locals every three/four Wednesdays or so. At $15.00, it is quite the steal.

The wine at Wednesday night’s tasting was Sonoma-Cutrer and a couple of its second labels. Terri Stamp, the On-Premise Market Manager of Brown-Forman, did the pouring honors.

The first wine was Bonterra 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, made from 52% Lake County and 48% Mendocino County grapes. Very fragrant, it has notes of citrus, lemongrass, cat pee, and some grassiness. On the palate, it is fresh and vibrant, with tropical fruit, grapefruit, and melon, and has a more assertive mineral backbone than most New Zealand Sauv Blancs. The happy part about this wonderful combination is the fact that the grapes are organically and sustainably farmed. Shame on me, I didn’t get the restaurant price, but it retails about about $13.00.

The next wine was Sonoma-Cutrer 2004 Les Pierres Vineyard Chardonnay. Even though the literature doesn’t state it, I’m guessing that it was aged in French oak due to the subtle creamy nature that has an overlying mineral backbone and good acid (that means food-friendly) core. Characteristics of Granny Smith apple, lemon, cream, and lime zest race across the nose and palate. In my opinion, it is a good balance between the attributes that oak imparts and the clear aromas and flavors of an unoaked Chard. It’s relatively austere compared to the “regular” Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay, but I feel that it’s much more suitable for pairing with a wider variety of food. Nice effort, enjoyable wine. Once again, I don’t know the restaurant’s price, but it retails at about $40.00.

Pinot Noir. Yum. The 2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was my favorite. Not because it is an earth-shattering, life-changing wine, but because it’s so, well, *Pinot*!! What can I say? A quick sniff had me saying, “smells like Pinot.” Berries, cherries, strawberries, cola, earth, smoke, and more on the nose. On the palate, it had all the berries, with subtle earthiness and smoke. A good acid core guarantees that this wine is perfect with turkey (dark meat), as well as the usual food suspects. Yummy. If you can find it, it retails at about $25.00, and is comparable (in my opinion) to many higher-end Pinots. I understand that this vintage will only be available to Sonoma-Cutrer wine club members and restaurants. If you’re a Pinot Ho like me, it’s worth the effort to search for it.

The last wine tasted was the 2004 Mariah Zinfandel, Mendocino County, which was my first experience with a Mendocino County Zinfandel. On the nose there were berries, dark fruit, coffee, a touch of cocoa, and some pepper. It is a rustic type of Zin, with the typical Zin dark fruit and earthiness and a surprisingly smooth finish. It still does not come up to my standard (hey! I’m into Paso Zinfandels!!), but it is very tasty nonetheless. It retails at about $25.00 or so.

Now for the real fun part. The food! Along with the wonderful wines come appetizers. The first course is a breadbasket with a rustic bread, a baguette-style “regular” bread, and some delicious Gorgonzola-laced breadsticks. The individual appetizer plate was beautifully presented and consisted of Genoa and Cotto salamis, Manchego and Gorgonzola cheeses, marinated olives, and candied walnuts. OF COURSE there had to be further food experimentation, so an additional meat and cheese platter was ordered. The cheeses were Tête de Moine, a cheese that can only be described as ethereal; Idiazabel, a Manchego-style Spanish cheese; Morbier, the French ash cheese; Duck Prosciutto (!!!), which is rich and wonderful; Quince preserves, and Cabernet and Shiraz jellies. Jeff Braun, the Assistant Executive Chef, came up with the idea to provide the Duck Prosciutto. He felt that people who patronized the restaurant would like something a little different. The Duck Prosciutto most deliciously fills the bill.

I have to mention Danny Smith, who was the server at our table. He was familiar with all of the items on the menu and the service was impeccable.

I had an opportunity to speak with Randy Zammit, the Manager of Onda. The staff came up with the idea to have wine tastings for Las Vegas locals in order to attract those of us who generally avoid the Strip. It was admittedly a gamble, but bit by bit, the number of customers grows at every tasting. I will admit that even though I’m also a Strip-phobic local, the lure of a periodical wine tasting at the Mirage is hard to resist.

Randy pointed out that Onda has “Rush Hour Wines” wine tastings every Friday night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The wines are complimentary, and while they get a few tourists, they have the red carpet laid out for us locals. That is, if we’re brave enough to confront the wilds of the Strip on a Friday night! It’s a great after work wind-down time.

So if you decide to go to Onda one Friday night, find Randy and tell him that Irene from Vegas Wineaux sent you. You won’t get anything other than what they have on the tasting menu, but, hey! He’ll know that there’s a network of locals who are willing to go to the Strip to take care of their wine Jones! And, yes, I plan to visit one Friday night and will definitely go to another Wednesday tasting. It’s a great value, especially considering the location. Four wines and world-class appetizers at the Mirage for $15.00. A deal in anybody’s book!

As I write this early Thursday evening, I’m also getting ready to go taste some Beaujolais Nouveau tonight at Khoury’s. This is going to be a BN fun run for the next few days/weeks, and I’ll be more than happy to share my opinion of this year’s vintage.

Stay tuned!

Great Wine Week for Meet & Greet!

2007-11-09T22:16:00.001-08:00

From the M&G (Meet & Greet) at Vino 100, to First Wednesday at Jimmy’s to the Ferrari-Carano tasting at Khoury’s, I’ve had a super busy wine week!

The M&G was a lot of fun, with meeting new friends, future students, and wine fans! Every single person who entered the store was enthralled by it, and spent a lot of time inspecting the unique wine rating system that Vino 100 uses to evaluate its wines. The lovely décor and the intimate size belie the amount of inventory that’s available there.

Part of the fun of the evening was spent in teaching people how to properly hold a wine glass. I found it interesting when I read *somewhere* on the web that about 80% of people hold their wine glasses incorrectly. Fortunately, very little of the wonderful wines that were available for tasting was sloshed out of the glasses, and people left with a feeling of acquiring a new and fun skill.

Vino 100 is located in the NW end of the valley at 7220 W. Azure in the Tenaya Village Shopping Center. Click here to check out their website and all the fun things they have going every day.

Vegas Wineaux classes will be available throughout the Valley beginning in early 2008. We are working at obtaining wine-friendly sites that will accommodate a class, and we’ll be off and running. We’re even working on having wine-free wine classes. More on that later!

Wednesday night found me at Jimmy’s for First Wednesday tasting. The theme was wines that are normally sold by the bottle in the restaurant. What a nice treat! Jimmy’s appetizers are pretty close to legendary, and the wines were wonderful. I was particularly pleased to have the opportunity to sample the 2005 Lanzerac Chardonnay. It is very California in style with just a whiff of earthiness to let you know that it’s not from this side of the pond.

And of course, there was the tasting at Khoury’s with Ferrari-Carano wines. They have their usual wonderful lineup, but their newest Cabernet, PreVail, is something special. Big fruit, leather, and earth, this wine can be laid down for a few years to mellow it a bit. But it can be drunk now with a nice big steak.

You all have a great weekend, and there will be even more fun news next week! It's Beaujolais time!!

Short and Sweet! See You at the Meet & Greet!

2007-11-04T21:11:00.001-08:00

As you know, I have established wonderful relationships with the terrific wine businesses with which we have been blessed in the Greater Las Vegas/Henderson area. Not only have these business turned from being “just business” to real friends, but they have expressed great pleasure at knowing that we appreciate that they’re there, that they provide us with education and wines at wonderful prices, and that we enjoy being their audience and fan base! What I think is remarkable is that each business is different from the other … there are no duplications of effort.

One of these newer relationships I’ve established is with Vino 100, a small, thriving, and fun wine store in the Northwest area of the valley. Natalie and Teresa are having a fantastic time seeing their business grow and love having a variety of people and events in their store. Their regular activities are phenomenal! For instance, they have Twisted Fridays, where they highlight particular screwcap wines (get it?), and Second Saturdays, where a local artist is showcased. Of course they have classes, and this week, I get to have fun in their shop!

On Tuesday, November 6, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, they will have a free wine tasting, and have asked me to join them. This is your opportunity to get to know this fantastic establishment and also share that time with me. I am going to be there for the entire two hours and will be giving brief presentations/excerpts from the Combatting Swirl Envy classes at selected times throughout the evening, and will be discussing what the Neophyte to Wine Snob journey is all about!

Please come, have fun, and share a wonderful evening with me and Natalie and Teresa at Vino 100. It is located at 7220 W. Azure Drive, in Las Vegas. If you Googlemap it, just type in 7220 Azure Drive, Las Vegas 89130. Leave out the W, or else it will give you directions for someplace close to Nellis. Go figure.

Come and visit! Bring a sharp palate and a mind ready and eager to finally start combating the swirl envy that we’ve all suffered at the hands of wine snobs. Come ready to taste some wine and warm up that wrist!

Sonoma Cellar, Wine Clubbing (or not), and Paso Plans!

2007-10-29T16:32:00.001-07:00

I know I promised to tell y'all about the Sonoma Cellar dinner last week, but there's so much to cover! All I can say is that the dinner was great, the company better, and the wines were Nickel & Nickel. Need I say more? The wine family in Las Vegas relatively small, yet we're always surprised when we see each other at these events.

Besides, I lost my notes and some of the details escape me. Sorry! Maybe my fellow Bloggers, Scott and Elaine Harris at http://vinolasvegas.blogspot.com can pick up the loose ends.

I belong to several wine clubs. I love them all and wish I could join more! But there are wine clubs and there are wine clubs. In my life there are several types, and there is a definite love/hate relationship with some.

Locally, I belong to a wine club sponsored by Jimmy's Café ( www.jimmyscafelv.com). Called Grape Beginnings, it is a fun club with lots of perks for members. The funnest perks are the discounts you get for just showing up and buying something to eat and drink! There are other perks that include free corkage Wednesdays which has allowed me to bring my non-wine list favorites to share with friends. Bringing wines that are on a restaurant's wine list is very, very tacky.

Jimmy has instituted First Wednesday wine tastings…there's always food, and usually a winery or distributor rep talking about the wines in their portfolio. The cost is minimal ($10 or 12 for members, a tad more for non-members), and very satisfying. Just showing up and inhaling Jimmy’s wonderful appetizers is worth the price of admission! Arrive early, though. Jimmy has lots of members who are fans of his food and the wonderful wines that they showcase.

There are the quarterly Winemaker dinners that are available only for members, and those are great! If you recall, I covered the Stanley-Lambert winemaker dinner that took place at Jimmy's. Lindsay Stanley (motto: I’m a crazy Aussie) was there, talking about his wines, the history of wine in Australia, and why winemakers love beer. We were regaled with several baudy stories (Lindsay is *not* shy!) which kept us laughing. Included with the wine courses were incredible appetizers created by Jimmy’s kitchen.

The price of the membership is $49.00 per year, and it has already paid for itself in corkage fees alone.

The other type of wine club that I belong to is the winery club. These are clubs that are maintained by the winery itself and often have specials available only to members. I was once a member of many clubs, but my credit cards (and budget and space) were suffering, so I had to cut back. I’m trying to plan carefully so that I can rejoin, so stay tuned.

These clubs vary in their methods of getting their wines to you. Some offer several levels of membership. The first wine club that I joined came about because of a tasting at Khoury’s, believe it or not. I don’t remember the other wines that were poured, but one of the wines was Robert Young Scion. It was an epiphany. Over the years I had discovered “good” wines (always onward and upward), but this was in another league altogether. The Khourys were able to order some for me, and I promptly joined the club once I was able to enjoy an entire bottle. The club has been wonderful, and I’ve had the opportunity to taste other Robert Young wines that just can’t be easily found in the retail market.

This winery has approximately quarterly shipments, and the prices of the bottles are less than retail or the Internet. Believe it or not, they are in Napa. What?! The Paso Ho in a Napa wine club?!? Remember that Paso is more about Rhône varietals. There’s a method to my madness!!

Villicana, Opolo, Kosta Browne, and Hug Cellars are among the others to which I belong, and I dropped a few others for varying reasons. One winery charged more for the wines than I could buy them retail. And to add insult to injury, dumped a hefty shipping fee on top of that. Well, it only took one shipment to tell me that this was a losing proposition! Another wine club “honored” me by putting me on its waiting list, and then eventually got around to allowing me to buy my “allocation.” I carefully chose several wines that I knew I’d like and was only able to purchase ONE bottle. Period. Well, that was a little annoying. What’s up with this “first come, first served” thing? So I quit that one, too.

I think Kosta Browne has the best system. Yes, I had to hang out on the waiting list for a while. But when I got my allocation, they made it known that it would be held for me until a certain date, and then would be released for others to buy. Perfect. If I was not able to get that particular allocation, there was no penalty (i.e., we won’t let you buy our wine next time) attached. Quite the opposite happened: I was able to get my allocation, refuse a couple of bottles, and pick up some extras of another vineyard as well.

So the story goes on and on. While I’m very happy with the clubs I belong to now, there are several others that intrigue me. Alas, the almighty budget must take precedence!

And then there are the “common” wine clubs, generally called "wine of the month” clubs. I only joined one of these, and for the four months that I belonged to it, was charged $40.00 plus shipping per month for four relentlessly mediocre wines.

I know that there are many people who are members of this type of club, and the positive thing is that these clubs allow the members to sample a wide variety of wines in taste, from different locations, and of many different types. There are two risks that you run into; or more accurately, that *I* ran into.

One was the fact that you didn’t always know what you were getting. Most of the time, I’d never heard of the winery, and the quality of the wine told me that I was in no danger of hearing about them soon. At least not in a positive way.

The other problem is the availability of the particular wine. It’s great to sample a bottle of something that may not suck, but if you want to get a couple of extras, that wine may only be available through the wine club. And if they ran out of that particular bottle, then good luck in finding it anywhere else!

So there you go. Your experience with wine clubs may differ. If so, please share! If you’d like to report other wine clubs in the local area that are worth checking out, leave a comment or send an email!

And to the person who asked me when the heck the Logo Link page is coming … all I can say is, SOON! Unfortunately, I was somewhat sidetracked by a home project (it looked like it would be relatively simple, even if labor intensive. Who knew.), and my weekend warrior project has stretched out over three weekends. With any luck, I’ll be done this next weekend. I hope.

The updates on the site will be two separate Las Vegas picture pages … one on events (wine tastings, events such as HenderZIN, wine dinners, etc.), and one on just home tastings with the gang(s). I have a bunch of pics that I want to put *out there,* but don’t want to swamp one page with too many.

I have plans for updating the Paso Robles page, but time and budget are being juggled now. I’m working with a couple of people to do a great update and showcase some of the folks and wineries there. I’m looking forward to reporting this, so stay tuned!

How clean is your glass?

2007-10-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

This isn’t an official entry for the week, but I have a question to pose to everybody.

While in the process of preparing for last week’s CSE-L class, I discovered that wine people are very passionate about their wine glasses. Not just their glasses, but how their glasses are cleaned!

I have always done the following when it comes to my glasses (wine or otherwise):

Rinse glass
Wash with soapy cloth
Rinse very well in hot water
Wipe dry
Ta da

Apparently, the very fact that I would use soap is repugnant, nay, downright *abhorrent* to many!

“Use diluted vinegar only.”
“Use plain hot water”
“Never use hot water on CRYSTAL! Only use lukewarm.”
“Lukewarm will never clean the glass well. Use hot water and only (fill in the name of the product ________) to clean your wine glasses.”
"Only use linen cloth to dry the crystal. *Never* use cotton!"
"Air dry only. Rinse and wipe well with a towel that has no fabric softener in it just before you plan to use it."

See what I mean?

Oh, and then there was the argument between glass or crystal. The snootiness factor rocketed right off the charts on that one!

So here is my question to you. How do you clean your wine glasses? Which type of glass do you prefer, glass or crystal? Does it matter?

Help me bring peace to the glass wars!!

Oh Say it isn't So!!! Marché Bacchus Newsflash. CSE Lite info

2007-10-21T21:36:00.001-07:00

Marché Bacchus has been sold!

Before you cry, wail, grieve, throw yourself into sackcloth and ashes or under a train, you have to hear the whole story.

Gregoire and Agathe Verge are the founders of Marché Bacchus, the wonderful French Bistro/wine store located in the community of Desert Shores in NW Las Vegas. MB’s patio is located along the edge of Desert Shores which makes patio dining an ethereal experience. It is almost always busy, and the patrons are fiercely loyal. So why would they leave such an ideal setup?

“Time.” Agathe said that time was the primary reason. They didn’t have any to themselves.

“It’s been eight years of seven days a week,” she said in her lyrical French accent. “And now the baby is 18 months old, and I need to be spending time with him.”

So she and Greg decided to sell their much-loved business to sit back and reassess their lives. Oh yeah…and take a much-needed rest!

So where does that leave the rest of us? In quite capable hands, thank you very much!

I was fortunate enough to meet two of the four new owners, and was very pleased to see the heart and passion for the restaurant, the business of food, and the seriousness with which they are approaching this venture.

The new owners are Jeff and Rhonda Wyatt and Christophe and Noanie Ithurritze. Because of the “busyness” of the day I didn’t get a chance to talk with them at length, but I can tell you that Christophe is formerly of Spago’s here in Vegas, where he worked for Wolfgang Puck. Wow. I will talk to them in depth later when it’s not lunchtime at Marché!!

Jeff is affable, enthusiastic, and talks animatedly about the future of Marché Bacchus, his blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. While we had noticed some changes in the menu, he pointed out a few more, including a new luncheon dessert menu. He indicated that some other changes were in the works, including catering, an expanded wine bar, and wine dinners!

Christophe has an infectious smile (that’s him on the left), and it looks like the two of them will take Marché Bacchus to the next level.

Meanwhile, Agathe’s plans are to rest for the next few months. “And then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do. I like sitting for a while.”

We wish Greg and Agathe the very best and hope (this is a hint, you two!), that they will stay as Las Vegas fixtures for years to come.

The Farewell Group around the table are: Elaine, Tex, Scott, Agathe, Gidget, Yours Truly, and Aaron.

The last CSE (Combatting Swirl Envy) Lite! class of the year will be held on Wednesday, October 24, at Valley Cheese and Wine in Henderson (of course!). This class is going to be lot of fun, celebratory, with a special drawing! Each participant will receive a ticket and the winner will receive a special wine-related gift!

Plans for classes next year are in the works, with locations in the SW area of Vegas, and plans for the NW as well. Of course we will always have classes in Henderson!

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Don’t forget that if you are a business, send me your logo! I’m working on the “logo links” page on VegasWineaux.com and would like to showcase your business (and brag that I know you!).

Until later in the week, see ya!

PS: I’m working on a review of the awesome wine dinner we had at Sonoma Cellar at Sunset Station last Tuesday. Stay tuned …

Spirit Therapies, HenderZIN (aka Paso Zins ROCK), New Releases and More!

2007-10-15T22:35:00.001-07:00

Where do I begin? I can't even think. I have had what seems like the busiest weekend of my life, but it was all good!

First things first! I'm going to touch on the October 12 1st Annual Beer and Wine Tasting for Spirit Therapies, an organization that provides opportunities for developmentally disabled children to learn how to ride horses. Of course, it's more than *just* riding horses; it's about interacting with other people and the animals, learning a skill, building self-esteem, and realizing the joy of accomplishment.

Thanks to Scott & Elaine, Mike, Celeste, Jana, and Zach (see story on Two Buck Chuck) for giving of their precious Friday night time to do the pouring for the guests who came to financially support the cause. They already know how much I appreciate their time – if and when you run into them, thank them. This is a wonderful cause, and (Irene gets on soapbox) I feel that everyone needs to support a charitable cause of some kind if they have the ability to do so. While the pourers weren’t supporting this with their money, their time is just as valuable a commodity for an organization such as this. I encourage everyone to find a cause (or two or more), and support it with your money, your time, your heart. The world would be better off, as would those who are less fortunate. Most touching was the presence of some of the riders. These kids have to deal with disabilities that would bring us to our knees, and they do it with courage and unwavering optimism. It is humbling seeing a child whose twisted form has to be transported in a wheelchair because he cannot even crawl, but who is able to sit high and proud on a gentle horse. For once, *he* gets to see life away from the wheelchair. Don't be afraid to check them out. You may find that your heart is miraculously softened. (Irene steps down from soapbox).

And now for HenderZIN. This was the second annual event, and my second time enjoying the festivities. Of course, this time going as *the* Vegas Wineaux (LOL), it was a little different. Now to my good friends who didn't attend last year … neener neener! I've had this much fun TWO years in a row! And for those of you who have missed both ... what can I say? You've missed a terrific event TWICE!

Once again, the event was held in the parking lot of Khoury's on Eastern, just north of St. Rose Parkway. And like last year, it rocked.

Issa and Nura Khoury have done a wonderful job of putting the event together, and we can't figure out how they managed to do it, especially with a new baby!

Let me go over some of my highlights (if you were there, your highlights may vary. I took notes).

First, a few shout outs to everyone whom I recognized. If you remember running into me and your name isn't here, let me know! Mel and Gene, Michael, Mitch and Amy, Don and Mark, Robin, Debbie and Mitch, and Tori. And of course, the wine elite were there! Tobin James, Kent Rosenblum, *the* Jim Lambert of Stanley Lambert, Bill of Four Vines (official title: Zin Pimp), and our wonderful Vegas pourers, including Carrie, Maureen, and Paul. Natalie and Teresa of Vino 100 stopped by to enjoy the festivities. Whew! There were many more there I knew, but my poor gray matter is fried!

The wines were wonderful. Opolo, Four Vines, Brochelle, Outpost, Montevina, Palm Cellars, and more! There was a band playing, BBQ, and rivers of flowing Zin!

And now give me a moment to offend a few people. First of all, *all* of the wines were wonderful. The wines were from all over California (I didn’t see the New Zealand Zin this year), and were varied in type, character, and structure. With that being said, I have to say that Paso Robles Zins as a group kick Napa Zin butt. The Paso wines are more fruit forward as opposed to having a dustier, earthier character which typify the Napa Zins. That’s not necessarily a good or bad thing. Two of the wines I could drink by the cup are Opolo Mtn. Zinfandel (Paso) and Outpost Howell Mountain (Napa). Very different styles, both delish. However, there are *more* of the Paso wines I could drink by the cup than those from Napa.

As I peruse my notes, I realize that my favorites were Tobin James Dusi, Fat Boy, and Blue Moon, Opolo Mtn. Zin, Four Vines Dusi, Brochelle, Outpost Howell Mountain, Sequum Kidd Ranch, and the unreleased JDusi – a Zin made by the granddaughter of the original owner of the Dusi Vineyard in Paso Robles. This had more complexity and more Napa in style than the other Dusi wines. Once again, all of these comments are my opinion. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMI). The upshot is that while I loved Zins from all of the AVAs, I loved more of the Paso Zins.

One more opinion: Paso Robles OWNS Zin. So there. Neener neener.

My good friend Elliot (going to be a Papa in a couple of months!) gave me the heads up on the new upcoming releases from Stanley Lambert. They are Three’s Company (GSM blend), Thousand Words (Chardonnay), Silent Partner (100% Cabernet), and Nordic Frost (Riesling). There were too many folks having a great time to get release dates, but stay tuned! I’m pretty certain that there will be tastings, and you can be sure I’ll be there!

Whew. And there’s still more! In the upcoming Blog entry, there will be information about wine clubs; in particular, one of my favorite local wine clubs. On a "Say It Isn't So!" note, I will address the buzz about the departure of a dearly beloved wine friend from our area to parts unknown. I am planning to turn into an intrepid cub reporter (didn't you ever read Superman comics?!?) and get to the bottom of a disturbing and saddening rumor. On the exciting, doing the "happy dance" side, there is a Vegas Wineaux event in the planning stages for November.

Curious? See you next time!

Swirl Envy Lite, Restaurant Prices, Wine Bigotry, Calendaring!

2007-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo (and an attagirl to me) on the Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! class! The October 9 class is going to be a lot of fun as we learn how to Pop Pour Store wines and get a basic grounding in corkology. We will also tentatively address the Spit or Dump problem. Don’t forget to sign up!

One of my favorite email wine publications is 30-Second Wine Advisor which sends out pithy articles and musings on everything wine. A couple of recent articles caught my eye and I thought I’d share them with you.

The first article was about the prices of wine in restaurants. As you all know, this is a particular pet peeve of mine. When I went into a particular restaurant some months ago (that I named once and won’t give them publicity any more) that had an $11.00 bottle of Nobilo (a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc) on their wine list for $46.00, I went ballistic. We’re not talking about a carefully stored wine that may have earned a higher price because the restaurant ensured its providence, but we’re talking about a wine that is under screwcap and can be stored in a cooler somewhere. A good wine (delicious, as a matter of fact), but certainly not worth *that* kind of markup! There was not that kind of perceived added value.

Restaurants routinely mark up the prices of wine three to four times the wholesale price that they pay, therefore making quite a tidy little sum on each bottle. While I am the last person to deny anyone a decent profit and love the free-market system in which we live, I feel that this is unjust and does not help the restaurants.

At any rate, 30-Second Wine Advisor printed the following, which is an excerpt from the email:

Restaurants justify this practice on the basis of cost: Wine inventory, storage, glassware and service all add legitimate costs, and it's fair to recover that…

Still, a $25 price tag on a $5 bottle seems to be pushing it ... yet it's not uncommon. It's no wonder that wine lovers enthusiastically embrace BYO where the law allows; and that many more elect to pass on wine in favor of beer or a non-alcoholic beverage when dining out.

Accordingly, I'm watching with considerable interest as a local restaurant rolls out a cheeky challenge to wine-list practice. Louisville's Bristol Bar & Grille, celebrating its 30th anniversary, announced that effective immediately it will offer its entire wine list at twice each wine's wholesale price, effectively matching full-retail wine shop prices.

As a practical matter, this means that the Bristol's bottle price for Heidsieck Champagne will drop from $57 a bottle to about $33. Trevor Jones "Virgin" Australian Chardonnay, $31 on the old list, now sells for $19. The sought-after Cakebread Chardonnay, which sells around $70 at many Louisville eateries, now goes on the Bristol's list at $38.

I think this will be fabulous for the restaurant *and* the consumer, and I’ll tell you why.

First, I admire the guts it took to tackle the problem head-on. Second, if a person knows that he or she is going to pay something close to retail, that person is likely to buy an entire bottle, or, if in a group, won’t hesitate to try multiple bottles if the event calls for it. Let’s see. Customers buying more stuff. More wines may mean more food. That means a larger check total, customers that feel satisfied and not ripped off, and everybody is happy. Customers are less likely to bring in a bottle and pay corkage because they know that the prices on the restaurant’s wine list are fair.

I would rather pay $25.00 corkage for my bottle of Williams Selyem than pay $200.00 for a bottle I paid $60.00 for. Do the math. That’s a “Duh!” moment. I have opted to only buy one bottle of wine at a restaurant and have gone home to open up something else to share with my guests later. Drinking the wine in the restaurant in a celebratory fashion is much better, more fun, and far more festive! I will do my best to continue to track this story to see what the impact is on that local area’s restaurant wine prices.

The next article by 30-Second Wine Advisor was on, in my personal words, wine racism. In other words, how people love a particular color of wine and may not necessarily appreciate the finer points of other colors of wine. I know people, for instance, who love white wines but hate wines of color. Very sad. Very limiting.

Now, lest you think that I have a pure, unbiased view of wine colors, I have to correct that assumption. I prefer red wines. Deep and rich, they offer full-bodied complexity. Not unlike myself. Their dark fruits and earthy character enthrall me and reds will always be my favorite.

However, I the last few years have seen me approaching white wines with cautious enthusiasm. I spent years (literally) looking for a repeat of my first major Chardonnay experience. The insipid, overly sweet, lemonade-tasting things could not approach my memory of a wine that exploded with tropical fruit, vanilla, melon, and spice, and which fit my tongue like a glove. I finally found it again the higher end (of course, dammit) California Chardonnays. However, once that was accomplished, I was wooed by New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs which, of course, sent me around the corner to Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. The discovery of Viognier was quite an experience. For the first time, I understood the nuances of fragrance on wine as I inhaled flowers.

The upshot is this: Don’t be a wine bigot. Try different wines. Read up on stuff about wine and wine pairings. Understand that some wines will go better with some foods (Chenin Blanc and Steak = Bad. Chenin Blanc and fresh Oysters = Yum).

Calendaring! Do you have a Wine or Vegas event that you want local folks to know about? I’ll be more than happy to put on my calendar which appears on the website and on the My Space page.

Speaking of My Space, I’ve learned to love it! I have lots of “friends” which include Hug Cellars and Vihuela Winery of Paso Robles! I’m currently waiting for Clautiere to add me on their list. Don’t forget to send pics to my gmail account at vegasrenie@gmail.com so that I can post them in My Space. If you’re member, look me up at www.MySpace.com/vegaswineaux .

Until next time!

New Wine Shop and Girls' Night Out!

2007-10-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

We have another wine shop way out in the boonies of the North, and I had the opportunity to visit it last weekend.

Vino 100, located at 7220 West Azure in Las Vegas, 89130, is a terrific little shop which everything that I need. The Vino 100 name comes from the wall of wines priced $25.00 or lower. Yes, they have high-end wines as well. They also sell a variety of wine-related foods, have a few spirits, and a humidor.

They also have glasses, corkscrews, candles, dishes, decanters, etc., etc., whew. Like I said, I could live there!

Natalie and Teresa are the co-owners of the shop, and all you have to do is show up. Natalie – who could easily be described as bubbly – waxes enthusiastic about the store. And, I have to admit, they have some great ideas that are out of the norm.

For example, instead of having a list of Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Robert Parker, etc., ratings, they have a “barometer,” which displays the individual wine characteristics instead of one person’s opinion. So instead of depending on the usual descriptors (big, jammy, fawns dancing through meadows, nuances of toast, etc.), the barometer will tell you where on the scale it is from dry to sweet and from light to full-bodied. Very interesting concept, and one that takes out the subjectiveness of only one person’s judgment.

Anyway, I got the complete tour of the store (yes, and spent money. It was inevitable) and enjoyed the V-Twin Winery of Sonoma’s wines. Because it was Bike Fest weekend, they were in town to present their wines. Vino 100 has daily tastings by the way.

Located near North Tenaya via the Ann Road exit of the 95, it’s an easy trip to the Tenaya Village Center. Don’t bother to Google it – Google is screwy. Use Mapquest instead.

Girls' Night Out!!

First Wednesday wine tasting at Jimmy’s was wonderful as two of my friends and I made it a girls’ night out. Sharon and Mary joined me as we enjoyed six different cheeses and four wines. The cheeses were Henri Hutin Couronne, a double-cream Brie from France; Corazon de Ronda, a smooth sheep’s milk cheese from Spain; Humboldt Fog Cypress Grove, an incredible goat’s milk cheese from California; Tillamook Cheddar; King Island Dairy “Roaring Forties” an Australian Blue Cheese; and Parmigiano-Reggiano. All were yummy, all were as different as cheeses could be, and the individual cheeses matched well with the wines …with some experimentation, of course!

The wines were as follows:

NV Evolution – 9 varietal white

2004 Full-Sister Semillon (Stanley Lambert)

2002 Coteaux du Languedoc (Domaine de Nizas). This was an SMG – Syrah 60%, Mourvedre 35%, and Grenache 5%. My favorite Rhône combo, with different proportions.

2005 Pinot Noir French Cuvee (RVTZ – pronounced Rootz – Cellars) Vin de Pays d’oc – France

There were also three Breckenridge beers available for tasting, with the Vanilla Porter being my favorite. Wayyyy too quaffable!

We were having such a good time that we decided to have dinner. Sharon ordered the evening’s special, “The Art of Tapas,” which had Asian appetizers of Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables, Spicy Tuna Roll, Japanese salad with Edamame & Pecans, and served with Spicy Soy Sauce, Pickled Ginger, and Wasabi. There was enough food for two people!

Mary ordered the Parkway Tuna Sandwich, and I ordered my usual favorite, The Crossings Tri-Tip Salad, which is a dinner by itself.

My cost for the cheese, wines, and dinner as a member of Jimmy’s Grape Beginnings Wine Club? With Tax, it came up to $19.64. I could even fit it into my budget!

Combatting Swirl Envy

Don’t forget to sign up for the class, being held next Tuesday. Along with the usual beginning wine etiquette items, we will be learning how to pop, pour, and store! See you then!

Swirl Envy Class, and oh so busy!

2007-10-01T02:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had those times when you’re too busy to even think???

That’s the perfect description for the last week and a half for me, which explains the delay in updating the Blog! Thank goodness for Scott and Elaine’s Blog, which has done a wonderful job of keeping up to date on the items I’ve been unable to report.

I do have some stuff to share, though!

The Combatting Swirl Envy – Lite! class was great fun! A small group, we had an enjoyable time sipping wines, learning the finer points of swirling and wine etiquette, pairing wine with food, avoiding wine racism, and enjoying the spectacular artisanal cheeses and wines from Valley Cheese and Wine!

To those of you are requesting a class location on the West side of town, be assured that I’m working diligently to make that happen. Since I live in the NW area, it would be an easier travel time for me! Meanwhile, check out the website and Local Wine Events for information on the next class upcoming at Valley Cheese and Wine on October 9.

Now a quick overview of recent events:

1. National Wine Week! That was last week, and I attended on Monday. National Wine Week is held twice a year and for a small fee of $10.00 plus lunch, you get the chance to taste up to twenty very nice wines. National Wine Week is held locally at Smith & Wollensky on The Strip. Many locals don’t make it to The Strip on a regular basis, and being down there during a lunch hour was a special treat for me. The website is http://www.nationalwineweek.com, and it’s worth the effort to take a look and make plans for the Spring!

2. The now quarterly AWS dinner at Café Bleu, the restaurant arm of the Cordon Bleu Cooking School! The wines of Banfi were featured, and Scott and Elaine did a great job of covering the event on their Blog.

The next posting (in a few days – I promise!) will be on the newest wine shop in Vegas. I visited there at length on Saturday afternoon and had a wonderful time! Stay tuned!

Schedule Change Alert! Friend Me Up, Charity Event and New Store Friends!

2007-09-17T23:28:00.001-07:00

The first Combatting Swirl Envy - Lite! on September 18 has been cancelled (sorry!), but the other scheduled class on Wednesday, September 26, will be held as planned. We wanted to make sure that everything was just right and it wasn't quite up to our standards. Apologies to those who are inconvenienced, but we hope to see you next week!

Vegas Wineaux now has a MySpace page! The link is http://www.myspace.com/vegaswineaux. Friend me up! For quick updates, news, gossip, and non-Wineaux stuff, that's the place to go! There is a little personal information about me and it's a quick way to let those on my Friend list know of any changes in Wineaux plans, schedules, or of upcoming events that require a quick notice. I've been surprised at the response received over the last few days, and can't wait to see y'all there!

Here's something that's special to me that I want to share with you. I will be head wine pourer at a charity event on Friday, October 12. It is the 1st Annual Taste of Spirit, a fundraising event for Spirit Therapies. Spirit Therapies is an organization that provides children with developmental disabilities therapy through horseback riding. As Joe Fusco, Vice President of Spirit Therapies told me, the response of the children is heartwarming. He told me the story of one young boy who'd spent his entire life in a wheelchair and being on a horse was the first time he was able to look eye-to-eye with anyone else. He'd always been looking up at others.

The event is Friday, October 12, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. at Sierra Goold, 6595 S. Jones (near the 215) in Vegas. Besides beer and wine tasting, there will be an auction, music, and live Cowboy entertainment. The tickets are $50.00 per person. Call Joe at (702) 335-7416, or check out their website at http://www.SpiritTherapies.org for further information and for tickets. Vegas Wineaux will be there, helping to support a wonderful organization and doin' it for the kids!!

Bella Vino is a new(ish) wine store on the other side of the world in the Aliante community in North Las Vegas. Located at the intersection of Aliante and Centennial Parkway, the cool little boutique wine shop is located in the Centennial Plaza (next a pretty nice Sushi restaurant. But I digress). Because Bella Vino is exclusively a wine shop, it has wines that won’t be seen anywhere else. We snarfed up a few bottles of unusual wines, including a South African Pinotage Rosé. Stop by and say hi to Michael Harju, the proprietor. Check out their website at http://www.bellavinowinecompany.com. Michael has regular community tastings and has store tastings every Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Next week - details about the class and reviewing Wine Week!

The Experience! Combatting Swirl Envy. It's Here.

2007-09-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

We’re happy to announce that the first classes of the Combatting Swirl Envy Experience have been scheduled. This is the “Lite” version of our full-fledged, two-and-a-half hour Combatting Swirl Envy Experience which will be available early in 2008.

The classes will be held at Valley Cheese & Wine, one of our favorite hangouts! Located at 1770 West Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson, VC&W has a terrific classroom just for wine classes and there we will confront our ongoing issues of Swirl Envy. We can then go forth and tackle the wine world with confidence and newly-honed skills. Remember, this is not a class about wines –there are many well-qualified sommeliers and educators who offer outstanding classes – but about wine *drinking.* If you feel you lack the confidence to confidently belly-up to the wine bar and understand the winespeak you hear, or if you feel awkward while handling your Riedel, then you need this class!

In the Combatting Swirl Envy Experience class you will learn how to hold a glass, what swirling is and why Wine People seem to "play" with their wines, how to avoid wine racism, receive a grounding in Basic Winespeak, and how to be a Wine Snob without being a Snob. A fun class that will have you swirling, sniffing, sipping, and spitting like a pro, this is for the truly intimidated and uninitiated Wine Neophyte.

To the right of this column is the link to PayPal so that you can pay for your class in advance. The cost is $35.00 per class that lasts for an hour and half, followed by a tour of VC&W. Seating is limited to 12 per class.

Scheduled classes and other events will now appear on the new Calendar Page of our website!

See you then!

A Rosé by Any Other Name and Wine in Vegas. And Neophyte to Wine Snob Stuff

2007-08-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

The wonderful tasting for the Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club Thing on Saturday night turned out much better than I could have hoped. We were a small group, but with the plans made ahead of time, there were just enough folks to fill up the space around the table and to enjoy the wonderful Rosés that I had purchased for our enjoyment.

There were only seven members due to several last-minute cancellations. As always, I had a fun time hosting, selecting the Rosé wines, and preparing the tasting notes and voting sheets. Because I had to “know” the wines in order to make sure that they were in the right sequence and not diminish the wines that were poured first, I did not actively participate in the blind tasting. I poured the wines and supplied enough glasses so that the members could compare each wine with the other. What a lovely sight! The Rosés were beautiful and reflected the colors of the Rosé rainbow, from a pale salmon pink to bright candy pink to a sheer garnet. The refreshments included appetizers of fresh fruits (strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, and dried cherries because these aromas are characteristically found in Rosé wines), Fontina and Gruyere cheeses, two different Pasolivo olive oils, dipping bread, homemade salsas, and a smoked beef brisket. For dessert there was watermelon "pizza" and vanilla ice cream.

Thanks so much to Tex and Gidget for the following compliment: The last time Irene prepared her delicious dry rub beef brisket was @ Michael Breyer's tasting and it disappeared very quickly. This time there were fewer people attending & Irene prepared more brisket, but the result was the same: no leftovers for her to eat later!!

I apologize for the delay in getting this tasting report out to you, but my camera died and according to the “service” contract that I had purchased when I bought the camera a few months ago, it had to go out for “service.” I figured that the Rosés wouldn’t last that long so here I am. And, yes, I feel like I’m getting “serviced,” particularly since this is the second camera in less than ten months that has gone belly up. Pardon my rant.

Check the end of this entry for details on the wines for the tasting.

The first Neophyte to Wine Snob Experience classes will be held at Valley Cheese and Wine during the third week of September. I will have complete information in next week’s update, and should have information on upcoming Paso Robles tours.

One of the questions I am always asked is in regards to the relevance of wine in Las Vegas. After all, it’s “only” Las Vegas. Not “Wine Central” by anybody’s estimation. We’re known for casinos, showgirls, the mob, and lots and lots of glitz. I can understand this perception because wine is largely available to the tourists at the tourists’ restaurants on The Strip, often at wildly inflated, breathtaking prices, usually triple or more of retail. Too many local restaurants have tried to do The Strip “thing” and mark up their wines to extortion levels as well, hoping that people are too ignorant to notice or too absorbed or embarrassed to say anything.

Too bad. Because we’re up to our nostrils in wine, and can kick anyone’s butt on the prices and the quality at our local joints. As many of you know, Marché Bacchus is my favorite with wine list QPRs (Quality/Price Ratio) that are hard to beat. Others may cost a little more, but are far from the abusive prices of the tourist areas. Jimmy’s Café, King’s, and Bleu Gourmet are great examples of establishments that provide wonderful food and the ability to purchase wine at great restaurant-reasonable prices.

Even as people get more and more savvy about wine, there will come a time (I predict) when people will start to question the exploitation prices on many restaurants’ wine lists, and will let their dollars speak for them by patronizing those places that offer wines at sensible prices. People eat out more and are beginning to realize that McDonald’s does not offer an ethereal dining experience. And people like my youngest son are learning that beer doesn’t offer much to a romantic candlelight dinner. (There’s a story there, by the way). Newspapers, articles, magazines, and online reports laud the health benefits of wine, and obscure grapes that make fabulous wines are being rescued from the brink of extinction. Many of these wines go for a song and a prayer at the local retail shops, and the sticker shock on the restaurant wine list may be moderated as people realize that wine is a food. After all, even children receive it around the family tables in Europe. Except for Antarctica, grapes are grown on every continent, and wine is enjoyed by most truly civilized countries. Unbelievably, wine grapes are grown in every state in the United States.

So when you find a restaurant that offers good food, great ambiance, and sensible wine prices, raise your glass in salute and drink up! And visit them often. As consumers, it’s a good thing to show your support and help with their success. (Did I sound like Martha Stewart or what?!?)

When you come to the blog and read the updates, be sure to read the Wine Quote of the Week. Many of those quotes go back to antiquity and reflect the relationship that civilized man has had with wine since the dawn of time. For those of you who are biblically inclined, Noah knew what he was doing!

There are wine tastings every day in Las Vegas. Every day. The tastings may range from the weekly free pourings at some of our favorite retail shops, such as Khoury’s, Valley Cheese and Wine, Las Vegas Wine Company, Steak, and Marché Bacchus to special dinners, discounts, and tastings for wine club members such as the Grape Beginnings club at Jimmy’s Café or the wine club at Roy’s. Lee’s Discount Liquor not only has weekend tastings, but also sponsors big wine events during the course of the year. If you’re looking for a wine tasting in Las Vegas and can’t find it, then you’re not looking hard enough!

Heads up on an upcoming event! The Second Annual HenderZIN Festival will be held on October 13 in the parking lot of Khoury’s on Eastern. I went last year, spent a LOT of money on phenomenal Zinfandels, and loved every moment of it. At $50.00 a head, it’s a bargain! Go to their website for contact information.

Next week: Time for the Neophyte to Wine Snob Experience

And here are the wines! Thanks to Tex for supplying the very detailed tasting notes:

Wine #1 was pale pink in color with a tinge of salmon, aromas & flavors of watermelon, strawberries & minerals with additional flavors of cherries, mint, herbs & pepper. This was the 2006 Domaine de Souviou Rosé (a blend of 60% Cinsault, 30% Grenache & 10% Mourvedre), Bandol, France -- 90 pts Wine Enthusiast -- 13% alcohol -- $27.

Wine #2 was pink in color with an orange-brown tinge, aromas & flavors of watermelon & strawberries, more intense in flavor than the first wine, with additional flavors of raspberries, mild tannins & a long finish. This was the 2005 Casa Mireles "Romanze" Rosé (a blend of 97% Syrah & 3% Pinot Noir), San Luis Obispo, CA -- 14.2% -- $17.

Wine #3 was raspberry in color with earthy aromas of currants; creamy flavors of currants, raspberries & strawberries with licorice on the finish. This was the 2005 L'Uvaggio di Giacomo Il Gufo Barbera Rosato (100% Barbera), Lodi, CA -- 12.5% -- $9.

Wine #4 was raspberry in color with aromas of red currants, cherries & roses; flavors of red currants, red apples & watermelon. This was the 2006 Artero Rosado J. Tempranillo (100% Tempranillo), La Mancha, Spain -- 12.5% -- $13.

Wine #5 was light cherry red in color with an oxidized nose reminiscent of Madera, bread dough, apples & vanilla with some tannins. This was the 2005 Palm Cellars "The Bearded Poodle" Rosé (60% Syrah, 30% Grenache & 10% Zinfandel), Paso Robles, CA -- 14.1% -- $13 ONLY @ Khoury's (only a few bottles left). This was the favorite Rosé of the night. (Irene’s note – if there’s any left, it’s only at the Khoury’s on Eastern)

Mike Frankel treated the group to a 2006 L'Aventure Rosé (72% Syrah & 28% Cabernet Sauvignon), Paso Robles, CA -- 14.8%. Thanks, Mike, for providing this delightful Rosé.

Classes! And celebrating "the King" 30 years later. In Vegas, Baby! Thankyewverymuch.

2007-08-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

Picture Irene doing the Happy Dance! The Neophyte to Wine Snob Experience classes are forming and promise to be a lot of fun. Email me for times, dates, locations, and prices. I’m looking forward to Sniffing, Swirling, and Sipping together with you!

This may come as a total shock, but Las Vegas does get kitschy from time to time. And with its years-long association with the King, it's no surprise that Vegas winelovers camped it up memorializing the 30th anniversary of the date when Elvis left the building for the final time.

After another wonderful tasting at Khoury’s last Thursday, a couple of us caravanned over to The Las Vegas Wine Company. During the tasting, two Elvises (Elvi?) and a Priscilla made a splashy entrance. What fun! Katrina and her husband Paul, and old friend and veteran Elvis impersonator John appeared in full late-era Elvis regalia.

As you can tell from the pictures (sorry about the quality … these are from my camera phone), we had a blast. The trio indicated that they would be leaving the store and going to the Elvis memorial being held at the Hilton where all of the Elvis faithful would be convening to hang leis on the Elvis statue there. Only in Vegas!

By the way, Thursday was indeed the 30th anniversary of the King's passing, and John signed and dated a picture for me. Nice memorial.

There is a real wine store in the northern climes! What I mean is that there is a wine store, Bella Vino, in North Las Vegas. It’s located at 2745 W Centennial Pkwy # 120. I will be visiting it sometime during the next few days to check it out, of course. The few comments I’ve heard so far are promising and I’m looking forward to making new friends. Finally, a store for those of us in the northern boonies!

Question for y’all … did anyone go to the Jazz nite at Marché Bacchus? Want to write a review? Pure fatigue and “too much to do” kept me from being able to attend. See you at a tasting!

Dueling Blogs, Sneaky Tastings, Festivals!

2007-08-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday was bunches of fun as the Fritz & Tex's Wine Club Thing met for its regular luncheon outing at the Marché Bacchus tasting. Because of previous obligations I could not join them for lunch, but was tasked by Agathe to choose the wines for the blind tasting! Gleefully and cackling madly, I chose two: a 2001 Michael Chiarlo Barbera D’Asti and a 2004 Saint Benoit Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Grande Garde. Both were yummy, but the Chiarlo stumped everybody. I confessed to my beloved group that if I didn’t already know what it was, I would not be able to guess what it was. After Rob, the MB Wine Guy stopped by the table and tasted the second wine, I asked him if this particular wine was typical. Since he had already seen the wine bottle, he gave a couple of observations, and the folks were able to narrow it down to a Chateauneuf du Pape. Incredible.

There’s more about the tasting on Scott and Elaine’s Blog, Vino Las Vegas at http://vinolasvegas.blogspot.com. They said very nice things about me, but my intentions were purely evil. I wanted to stump EVERYBODY!! LOL.

The day was followed up by a tasting at Tex & Gidget’s lovely home. It was Part Duo of a two-part Italian wine series. The first one two weeks ago demonstrated my blind-tasting prowess as I was able to ace four of the six wines. Saturday night’s tasting was, um, *humbling* as I bombed on all six. I will probably never get to be a truly snobby wine snob because my palate dies at a faster rate than my ego can grow! It just means that I have to drink more wine!

I had a great time at Khoury’s (Durango) last week as I stopped there for a tasting. Jim Moore, the owner/winemaker of l’Uvaggio di Giacomo winery in Napa was there with his American-Italian wines. I tasted the Arneis (yes, that’s a grape), Barbera, Rosé, and the dessert wine. The Barbera was wonderful, and I have to admit to being disappointed that he did not bring a Nebbiolo. I *hate* Nebbiolo in general, but since Fritz Reese brought an American Nebbiolo to the first Italian-themed tasting at Tex & Gidget’s, I’ve been intrigued. I usually find that for my tastes, Nebbiolos are thin and tannic, and not enough fruit for my overly-American palate. The Nebbiolo that Fritz brought was almost Pinot-like in character, and I fell in love with it. I had been looking forward to trying one of Jim’s Nebbiolos. The Napa Nebbiolos could make a fan of me!

I bought two bottles of the Barbera Rosé, because it was absolutely incredible. It’s a Rosé, all right, but it has so much “red wine” character to it that it puts a smile on my purple-toothed mug. The grapes are sourced from Lodi and have an amazing complexity for a Rosé. And at less than $10.00 a bottle, it’s a bargain that can’t be beat!

Thursday night again found me at Khoury’s (Eastern) enjoying a Sanford tasting. Yes, I bought some wine! I bought a Sanford Chardonnay which was so close to my idea of a perfect Chard that it was almost Mersault! Just enough oak to add the creamy character that I love, but not so much that I felt that I was biting into paneling.

And then I had an extra surprise! Bill (of Bill and tiny Chris, his wife) led me to the Las Vegas Wine Company, where I met a whole new group of wine folks! I had a fabulous time there and met several people there who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about wines. I didn’t leave until about ten, but left with a smile on my face and can’t wait to return. What a fun group!

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but although it’s not really “local,” the Trader Joe’s located on Washington near Buffalo in the city has wine tastings and food demos nearly every day. Stop by and say hi to Robin or Tony!

Now for a real Vegas event and tradition … the 35th Annual Greek Food Festival is coming! If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on a real treat! This year it’s taking place at its usual location on the grounds of St. John’s Church, an architectural wonder, September 6th through 9th. Stay tuned for more information.

The classes for Vegas Wineaux are being scheduled, and I will have more information for everyone shortly. I can’t wait to see you there!

Woo Hoo! We're on the Web!

2007-08-06T00:58:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! In all caps! At approximately 11:45 p.m. on August 5, 2007, the first version of the Vegas Wineaux website was finally published on the Internet. This accomplishment has been fraught with angst, blowups, disasters, and an assortment of mishaps. For instance, the website had been fleshed out, needing only major tweaking (an actual technical term) when I did *something* and lost everything. All of it. Which meant that last week I had to start from scratch. And because I had determined that in order for Vegas Wineaux to be a success that I had to hold to my projected rollout date, I literally burned the midnight oil, even after having a medical “procedure” (if you’re under 50, you have surgery. If you’re over 50, you have “procedures”). Even though I have to be up and at ‘em at 5:30 a.m., I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment.

Vegas Wineaux is a partially commercial, partially personal website. The commercial part consists of information about our classes and trips. The classes’ planned start dates are in September, and we’re still working on the trips to Paso. Vegas Wineaux Gear™ is in the planning stages, so stay tuned for further information.

The personal part of the Vegas Wineaux website consists of some of my favorite pictures of friends, events, and places, all wine-related and fun. I hope that you find it a fun place to hang out!

I had a day yesterday that could only be described as Kismet. As you old-time readers of the blog know, I am quite a fan of Paso Robles. Well, the two tastings I went to yesterday were pouring Paso wines, and one of them was a new discovery for me.

Steak is a restaurant located in the middle of nowhere on the far reaches of Horizon Ridge, (Sorry Hendersonites! But if you live in the NW like I do, it’s a fer trek) and has one of the most amazing wine rooms I’ve ever seen. I was literally speechless when I walked in. And the prices are just right. The selection is amazing.

I met David, the owner of Steak, at a tasting at – where else – Khoury’s on a Thursday night a few weeks ago. I’ve been receiving the restaurant invites for tastings, but my schedule has not allowed me to get alllll the way out there to indulge. I’m glad that I did.

My second destination was Valley Cheese and Wine, where Bob was pouring Halter Ranch, another one of my favorite Paso wineries. I bought a bottle of Syrah to replace the one I had shared with friends a few months ago, and also bought some amazing cheese that was soft, pungent, and is made with a combination of cow, sheep, and goat milk. Amazing stuff. I also bought some duck sausage. I think it’s the first time I have been able to get out of there for less than $50.00. It’s just about the only place I buy my cheeses now, with only Whole Foods (motto: why pay less?) a serious contender for my high-end cheese cravings.

I was able to take pictures of both places which I’ve placed on the Vegas Wineaux website. The only problem I had was that I accidentally moved *something* on the camera, and the pictures at Steak turned out way too dark. I’ll have to go back to retake some more because that room is marvelous.

I have so much more to report, but it’s nearly 1:00 a.m. as I write this, and the adrenal glands are shutting down. I hope you enjoy your visit to the website, and I’ll talk to y’all next week!

More Vegas!!! And People Who Won’t Drink Red Wines in Summer are Sissies. So There.

2007-07-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

I’d like to introduce you to two friends of mine who also have a Vegas Blog! Meet Scott and Elaine; their blog address is at the right of this column. It is http://vinolasvegas.blogspot.com.

They travel quite a bit (and I’m incredibly jealous because they do) and their blog is filled with great pics and narratives of their travels. Their latest escapade was to visit the wine regions of the Finger Lakes in New York State. Enjoy!

If you recall, a couple of weeks ago I went to a dinner at Café Bleu, the restaurant that is associated with Le Cordon Bleu cooking school here in Vegas. The winery was Hahn Estates, and the winemaker, Adam LaZarre (a real character in anybody’s book!) had some bottles of wine that are associated with Hahn, including Cycles Gladiator Pinot Grigio. It was quite tasty, especially for an American PG, and quite a bargain for a retail price that’s under $10.00.

A recent trip to Cost Plus World Market had me wandering the wine aisles, and I discovered Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir. What a happy surprise! I picked up a bottle for $11.95. Once again, quite a bargain. Well, when I got it home and allowed it to chill a bit, I was in for a very pleasant surprise. Without going into a long description, I can sum it up in few sentences. It smelled like Pinot Noir. It was a little on the thin side, but tasted like Pinot and was a little on the earthy side which was a surprise for a California Pinot. It’s no Williams Selyem or Kosta Browne, but for less than $12.00, it could easily be a daily drinker Pinot.

Cost Plus also has a new line of stemware that is made by Spieglau, and at $6.95 per glass, is quite a good QPR for something that rings when you tap it. (For newbies out there, QPR means Quality/Price/Ratio; in other words, the quality is better than the price may indicate).

By the way, I also purchased a half bottle of 2005 J. Lohr Arroy Vista Chardonnay. Unfortunately, the wine was cooked (smelled and tasted like Madeira), and I was too upset to think to take it back.

Another wine I drank this week was a Rosé from Valley Cheese and Wine. It is a 2006 Domaine Sainte-Eugénie Corbières. It looks and smells like watermelon! The other fragrances come through, including strawberries, cherries, and a touch of minerality. It is a combination of Cinsault and Syrah. At $15.99, it is another good QPR. There’s a funny story about how I came into possession of this wine, but I won’t share it yet. Let’s just say that the other person is still smarting from being yelled at.

It’s summer, and I’m lovin’ my grill! I’m throwing something on the grill at least once or twice a week, and along with a big fresh salad, that makes a wonderful meal in this late July Monsoon sweltering heat. And yes, I’m drinking reds. Big ones.

Viogniers and Rosés are my staples when it’s really hot and I’m too busy to deal with the additional alcohol that a big red packs. But when I’m in full relaxation mode, it’s definitely time for the red. I make a dish that I call “Pasta Fresca” that consists of a good hearty pasta (Valley Cheese and Wine has a beautiful selection), cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, parsley, EVOO, fresh lemon juice, and gray salt. While it’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own, it is delicious with freshly grilled lamb chops. This is beautifully paired with a Syrah, and makes for a filling and satisfying meal. The secret is to put the Syrah in the fridge for about half an hour which tames it somewhat, but doesn’t detract from the character of the wine. I have several Syrahs and other than those Shirazes that I have from South Africa - which really are meant for hearty winter fare in my opinion - are great with summer barbeque. Give it a try!

And for the locals, I just received an email from some friends announcing the opening of a Farmers Market in North Las Vegas. Titled The North Las Vegas Harvest Market, following is an excerpt from the promotional piece:

The North Las Vegas Harvest Market will run year-round, rain or shine in two exciting locations. Thursday's market time is 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., will take place on the City of North Las Vegas City Hall campus located right on busy Civic Center Drive (the site of the highly successful award winning annual event "Taste & Tunes". Friday's market time is 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., will take place at the beautiful Nature Discovery Park located in the Aliante Master Planned Community. Both locations have thousands of built in customers who have consistently requested a Farmer's Market.

The North Las Vegas Harvest Market is sponsored by the City of North Las Vegas. The priority of this highly anticipated market is to promote community growth and development while allowing its citizens to enjoy upscale quality time together in a fun filled family atmosphere with the health conscience in mind. We invite you to enjoy!

I intend to visit it at the first possible opportunity, particularly since I live in the NW part of Vegas and it's kinda close by. Hope to see you there!

There are all kinds of exciting things happening next week, so please stay tuned for updates. See ya then!

Whew! Tastings and Food and More!

2007-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

This last week has been incredibly busy, with new contacts, new experiences, new restaurants, and most importantly, the genesis of a new business.

First, there were a couple of tastings that I went to last week. Last Tuesday it was at Fleming’s (link to the right) which, although it is a national chain, has an incredibly high level of quality and consistency. They are hosting three “Nights of Discovery” wine tastings (July 10, 17, and 24) which are free to invitees, and which showcase five of the wines that they are introducing to their “Fleming’s 100” wine list. As always, I was not disappointed at the quality of the wines, the quality of the service, or the quality of the appetizers. My companion and I had dinner before the tasting, and found it to be up to Fleming’s usual high standards. Once again, it’s one of my “go to” places for a nice, stress-free meal. If you have an opportunity to stop by, look for Taylor the wine guy. He’s knowledgeable and proud of Fleming’s offerings and the enthusiasm that is generated.

Fleming’s is located at 8721 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117. Their phone number is (702) 838-4774

Another choice find in the world of local restaurants is a Sushi restaurant in Henderson called Sushi Wa. What a nice place!

Sushi Wa is very modern looking and, unfortunately, is quite hidden in the strip mall. But the food!

The presentation was beautiful on all dishes, and the portions were generous. The prices were incredible. We shared Edamame and “Firecracker” appetizers, a small house Sake, a 911 Roll (very spicy), and a Sunset Roll. We finished up with a green tea ice cream, and the total for the meal came to a little over $42.00 for two people. That included the tax, so we could be generous with the tip. I thought that the prices on their Sashimi was a little high until the waitress (lovely Ahnna, who is a student at UNLV and sharp as they come) pointed out that seven pieces are served instead of the traditional three/four. Delicious, and worth seeking out.

Sushi Wa is located at 790 Coronado Center Drive, Suite 125 in Henderson. That is right off of Eastern just north of Horizon Ridge. Their telephone number is (702) 263-8973.

Those were the two eating out high points of the week. I had breakfast at Jimmy’s on Saturday, but because that’s ALWAYS good (another wonderful meal at Jimmy’s. Ho hum.) it’d be redundant. Meals are always great a Jimmy's who's a nut for quality and flavor.

I’d like to introduce y’all to Chuck Montcrieff, the owner of Vegas Wine News (http://vegaswinenews.com), who contacted me last week. We have a similar mission: We want people to know that we have great wines and restaurants here in Sin City, and they’re not necessarily on the Strip. Chuck is articulate, passionate about his wines, and a wonderful writer. We shared wine and restaurant experiences, and I’m happy to place a link to his site on the blog.

As far as the business of the Vegas Wineaux, there will be more to report. The update on the Vegas Wineaux website is that it is now scheduled to launch on the weekend of August 4/5. As you know, real life has a way of interfering with plans, especially if real life is wrapped tightly in red tape! So stay tuned for the launch. We are working diligently ensuring that the information on the site is interesting, entertaining, and will bring you back for more.

Until next week!

Dinners and Reviews and Wines! Oh My!

2007-07-15T20:06:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone for the fun comments and responses I received on my Two Buck Chuck issue. Yes, we’re all still spinning from that one!

The first thing I’d like to address is that we’re undergoing a big change. Due to work stresses, the regular updates will no longer be on Thursdays, but will happen on the weekends. It is during that time that I really have the time and bandwidth to be able to sit and write. For at least the next two months, my weekday schedule (i.e., "the day job") is going to be too busy to allow me to be able to update the Blog in a timely fashion at any other time other than weekends.

Another thing I’d like to share with you is that I’m still busily (as time allows!) working on the website for Vegas Wineaux and the Experience. Curious? More to follow later!

It is so important to me that I receive lots of feedback from the local folks, and after much begging, I received an informal review of a local restaurant! Because of the positive comments made by someone whose taste in food and the finer things I trust, there will be a link on the blog page for people to access and use as a resource.

Thanks to Michael Breyer!

First, Michael’s review:

Oh my God!!!! What an ethereal experience! We started with spectacular Dirty Vodka Martinis. The next indulgence was a 2000 Bordeaux. The salad was a special seasonal Caprese. Instead of beefsteak tomatoes, it had very tender heirloom tomatoes and was served in a "cocktail" shaped glass. The Chateaubriand that I shared with my daughter was cooked perfectly, and the accompanying potatoes and vegetables were a wonderful complement to the meat. The ambiance was perfect and although the table was not isolated, the room was not congested or noisy and I had a sense of privacy. The three-member wait staff for our table of six was incredibly attentive. The change from the previous restaurant in the same space was remarkable. The tariff is not inexpensive, but of very good value. I cannot wait to return to insure that this was not an isolated experience. I really doubt that this is different than every dining adventure in Hanks.

Hank’s replaced Bullshrimp, which was one of the original restaurants in place when Green Valley Ranch Station opened a few years ago. Although the prices have been compared to those on the Strip, I understand that the food and ambiance is perfect for locals who long for the Strip experience from time to time but who don’t want to fight their way through tourist crowds.

Hank’s is located in the Green Valley Ranch Station, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway in Henderson. The restaurant’s reservation number is (702) 617-7515. Enjoy! And be sure to share any experiences you may have with this or other spots. As you can see, excruciating detail is not necessary, just an overall review of the quality of the food, the service, and the experience.

I had two dinners this week that were extraordinary, and both took place at restaurants I love.

The first one was last Tuesday, July 10, at Marché Bacchus when the Fritz & Tex’s Wine Club Thing (I think that designation is semi-official!) met for its biannual (?) dinner. We had six bottles to blind taste along with the usual wonderful fare. Tex always takes wonderful notes at each tasting, and this was no exception. Here are his notes, only slightly edited:

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Notes from our July 10 meeting at Marché Bacchus: There were 13 members & 2 guests who attended the blind wine tasting & dinner. Special thanks to our host, Gregoire Verge, who is the owner & proprietor of Marché Bacchus, & Robb Horesovsky, Wine Director, who selected 3 whites & 3 reds for us to taste "blind". They also chose 2 additonal red wines to enjoy with dinner. Cal Oliver also brought a red wine from his collection for the group to taste "blind."

Wine #1 was almost clear in color with aromas of flowers, flint, wet slate, peaches, pears & limes; flavors of lemons, limes & pears & wet slate with a long finish of lemon-lime & minerals. The group thought this was either a Riesling Kabinett from Germany or an Austrian Gruner Veltliner. This was the 2004 Abbaye de Marmoutie Vouvray Clos de Rougemont, Loire Valley, France -- 12% alcohol -- $22. (Irene's note: It's the only bone-dry Vouvray I've ever had. Very interesting wine.)

Wine #2 was clear in color with aromas of petroleum, minerals & ripe white fruits; flavors of oak, lemon, grapefruit, green apples, kumquats & ripe white fruits with a citrus finish. We thought this was a 2005 Pinot Gris from Oregon. This was the 2005 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc (81%)/Viognier (19%), Clarksburg, CA -- 12.6% -- $12.

Wine #3 was very pale straw yellow with aromas of petroleum, oak, butterscotch, pears, smoke & spices; flavors of pears, oak & butterscotch. We thought this was a New World Chardonnay, probably from South America. This was the 2005 Gruet Chardonnay, New Mexico -- $16.

Wine #4 was light cherry red in color with clean aromas of cherries, strawberries & magnesium; flavors of dried cherries & leather with light tannins. We thought this was a Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Chateauneuf du Pape or Pinot Noir. This was the non-vintage Rouge par Badie, Bordeaux, France, a blend of 80% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, created for a lightdrinking summer wine -- 13% -- $13. At least we were in the correct country!!

Wine #5 was dark purple-red in color with aromas of plums, dark fruits, roses, violets, smoke, oak, spices & cocoa; flavors of plums & spice with higher alcohol & well balanced acid & tannins. We guessed this was a Syrah from CA or Australia. This was the 2003 Hurricane Ridge Syrah, WA -- 13% -- $16.

Wine #6 was red-purple in color with aromas of light red fruits, blackberries, oak, spice, nuts, cola & yeast; flavors of light red fruits, blackberries, cola, cinnamon, licorice & dark chocolate with good acid, big tannins & a long finish. We thought this was a CA Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. This was the wine that Cal brought in from his collection: the 2004 Casa Nuestra Tinto Classico Old Vines, Oakville, Napa Valley, CA -- 14.3%. The wines are a field blend of several unknown varieties, one of which is probably Old Vines Zinfandel. Many thanks, Cal, for treating us to this wine.

Wine #7 was dark purple-red in color with vegetal aromas of dried red fruits, blueberries, oak, musty dried leather & dried flowers; flavors of cherries, dried red fruits, anise & dried leather with well-balanced acid & tannins. This tasted better than it smelled. We thought it was a 2003-04 Italian Chianti or a French red Burgundy. This was the 2003 Morambo Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Padthaway, Australia -- 14.0% -- $23.

The two wines that we enjoyed with dinner were the 2003 Les Baux de Provence Mas de Gourgonnier, Provence, France -- 12.5% -- $21. The other wine was a 2003 Cep Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA -- 14.8% -- $25. There were no notes taken on these last two wines.

Although we did not take an official vote on our favorites wines of the night, we heard several favorable comments about the Hurricane Ridge Syrah and the Cep Pinot Noir. (Irene’s note: The Syrah was rich, toothstaining, fruity, and, apparently, unfiltered. The Pinot was more Burgundian in style and needed to open before revealing its very nice Pinot characteristics.)

******
The second dinner I attended was the evening of Friday the 13th at Café Bleu, the restaurant that is managed by the students of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Summerlin. Hosted by the Las Vegas chapter of the American Wine Society, it was an enjoyable and entertaining evening. Kudos to Andy Ashbaugh for making sure that everything ran so smoothly. Because I don’t want to make this week’s issue too long, I will give the review of that dinner in next week’s entry. Meanwhile, contact the school for their prices and enjoy the experience of having students (who work very, very hard) hone their skills and make your dining an experience to remember.

From the Why Reinvent the Wheel Dept. – a wine blog that I like to read is called Vinography and is well written by an extremely talented man named Alder Yarrow. About a month ago he published a review on the Hospice du Rhône in Paso Robles. Rather than give a review of his review, Click Here to read his review entitled Syrah Around The World: Tasting at Hospice du Rhone 2007. I want to attend it next year, but the word “Zoo” keeps rearing its head in my mind!

I Get Letters! – Thanks to Fritz for turning me on to John Curtas, the food reporter for the local public radio station, KNPR. I have to admit that I’ve spent quite a bit of time listening to his very entertaining reviews of local Vegas eateries. He’s funny, blunt, entertaining, and has an amazing talent with adjectives. His link is on the right side, newly added, and not to be missed by anyone wanting to dine in Vegas.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming website, the Vegas Wineaux Experience, and more!

And, as they used to say “back in the day,” Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming!

An Unlikely Win and Old Faves

2007-07-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

I couldn’t believe my lyin’ eyes. This couldn’t be true, could it?

My topic this week was/is “wines we’re embarrassed to admit that we like.” In my wildest dreams, I didn’t believe that real life would give me hand in putting together this entry.

First of all, I subscribe to a bunch of stuff. I receive emails daily on what’s going on out there in the worlds of wine, food, and Vegas. I almost always have *something* to talk about each week.

I read a byline in the list of items from the July 4 mailing of the Sacramento Bee. And what I read absolutely stunned me. Published on the online version of the Bee was the following:

Dunne on wine: What's up? 'Two Buck Chuck' the state's best?

What does that mean? That means that the ubiquitous Two Buck Chuck (that’s Charles Shaw, available only at Trader Joe’s) Chardonnay won double gold medal at the California State Fair wine tasting. Better than every other California Chardonnay.

I was stunned. Absolutely stunned. So I felt it was my moral duty to do something about it. “Something” included stopping at Trader Joe’s and picking up a bottle of the double gold medal winner.

It didn’t look good. Even though I don’t have to, I decided to protect the names of the persons who commented on my choice of wine as I carried it, label carefully hidden from view while tucked under my arm: “I won’t even use it for cooking.” “You are buying that?!? What’s wrong with you?!?” “I’d be embarrassed to be seen buying that.”

Not exactly an encouraging, auspicious beginning. But because I’m willing to sacrifice for the cause of the best bang for the buck, I forged ahead, accompanied by my oldest son, Zach. We socialized with the folks there, Zach ran into an old friend, and we just visited for a while. Then it was time to go. “You go ahead and go through the checkout stand, Mom. I left my wallet in the car. Yeah, that’s it! I left my wallet in the car.” I felt abandoned even by my own son.

I put the bottle in the fridge to cool off while we kicked back and enjoyed a Paso Robles duo of Josephina Syrah Rosé and Opolo Mountain Zin, along with our Caprese (home grown basil, tomatoes, and “perlini” (small mozzarella balls), unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a sprinkling of Mediterranean black salt) and hickory-smoked boneless leg of lamb. Delish. Oh, we finished with a patriotic dessert of sliced strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. After all, it *was* July 4!

I asked Zach if he was ready to try the 2BC (that’s Two Buck Chuck for you newbies), and he took a deep breath and said, “Okay.” I opened up the bottle (real cork!), poured it into our glasses, and we peeked, swirled, sniffed, and tasted. Well. As someone who’s a Chardonnay snob (see the entry I made two weeks ago), there’s no way I could say that this was the best Chard in California. In the glass, the first thing I noticed was that it was very light, more like a Sauv Blanc than a Chard. The aroma was Chardonnayish enough, but the palate was, um, *disjointed* at best. And unlike the person at Trader Joe’s, I feel that it *can* be used for cooking! It’d make a decent enough Picatta reduction.

The best that we could do was to come up with the following opinions:

It doesn’t completely suck.

The judges were smokin’ crack.

Every single judge got paid off.

It was the last wine of the day and they hadn’t been spitting.

The judges were ringers.

They felt guilty about always awarding medals to the best wines.

They really thought it was the best Chard in California. (That’s just so bizarre on so many levels).

It wasn’t really 2BC in the bottle. They actually filled it with Cakebread.

The tasting must have taken place on April 1.

The link to Mike Dunne’s article is to the right of this column. I’m sure that you will enjoy his disbelief as much as we did!

On to the topic at hand. There are a few things that I learned last weekend. One of them is that we Wineauz (like that?) still have a special affection for the fluid that “got us started” into wines. Unless, of course, we got started with 2BC. But I digress.

It was the regular Tex & Fritz’s Wine Club Thing’s lunch at Marché Bacchus. I had almost forgotten (errands, etc.), but as I drove past Regatta, I suddenly remembered the luncheon and made what was probably an illegal turn into the street so that I could meet everyone.

I was happy to see the crew there, and I was asked what I was planning for this week’s entry. Of course I shared!

Confessions abounded.

I admitted that my first “wine” - other than my grandmother’s pear wine - was, like most people of my generation, Boone’s Farm. In my case, it was Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, but with about 14 or so flavors to choose from, it can fill anybody’s need for a fruity, artificially-flavored wine. Once I realized that wasn’t *really* wine, I moved on to the real stuff. Mogen David White Concord. A few bottles of MD, some crazy friends, and stack of Redd Foxx records can make for a fun night if you’re snowed in. Oh, I’m originally from Philly, which is why I live in Vegas.

My next discovery was “Chablis.” If I went out on the town, I usually ordered “white wine,” or, specifically, “Chablis.” It was tasty enough, and I could hold a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other and look very cool and sophisticated. No, I’ve never smoked cigarettes, but it was the *image* that counted. During those years, having a cigarette between your fingers automatically shouted “cool chick” to the opposite sex. Hey! I’m almost a Senior Citizen, so I’m accurately reporting the correct slang!

I went through a wine wilderness period where ignorance was the theme. I knew enough not to serve wine on the rocks (seven years of bartending instilled that into the deepest reaches of my psyche), but other than just drinking out of a “wine glass,” I didn’t know where to start. So White Zin was the drink of choice, occasionally supplemented with Merlot or the “house red” wine. The rest, as they say, is history.

What were some of the wines that made an impression on the others? Lancers, for one. Reunite on ice. Boone’s Farm’s many flavors. Mogen David, or, worse, MD 20/20. Ripple. Manischewitz. And the current favorite beginner “wine,” Arbor Mist. We were suitably embarrassed as we compared our old favorites. Gidget had an interesting commentary on her experience with 2BC. “Smelled good. Tasted like s**t.” We laughed, and then began to focus on the wines we’d be blind tasting. (2003 Domaine de Penouillet, Beaumes de Vinese, Cotes du Rhone Village and 2003 Rutherford Hill Merlot. I bombed the first one but knew the second was at least Merlot based. Sheesh.).

Much later I realized that if not for those old favorites, many of us may never have discovered “real” wines. And, although I know I’m speaking heresy here, sometimes a cheap wine is the only way to go.

I’m not about to open a bottle of my Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir to use as a reduction for my caramelized mushrooms. However, an inexpensive bottle of something that is relatively characteristic works just fine. All I need is the wine. Nuances aren’t important.

If I have visitors who don’t care for the impact of a good solid red or who are hanging out during a typical superheated Vegas summer day, then sometimes pulling the cork on a bottle of White Zin (or pulling the spigot from a box) is the only way to go. We’re talking about folks whose favorite wine is, in no uncertain terms, White Zin. It is (last I heard) the best selling varietal and is what saved the Zinfandel grape from almost certain extinction. What can impress many of these folks is White Zin on the rocks with a spritz of soda and a sprig of mint. A refreshing summer drink that even the most die-hard wine cynic can enjoy. So, as you can see, even these wines have their place in the Wineaux’s cellar.

Just stay away from my Kosta Browne.

A Little This 'n A Little That

2007-06-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you who have responded so positively to the articles posted on this blog, both in writing and in person. I received a few questions this week, but before I answer any of them, there’s wine stuff to cover!

First, I need to correct an oversight. Somehow I completely neglected to mention Jimmy’s Café’s wine club, Grape Beginnings. The fee is $49.00 annually, and each member receives at 10% discount on the prices of wines by the glass or by the bottle, free corkage on Wednesdays, once a month wine dinner discount, and invitations to winemaker’s dinners. I think there are a couple of other perks, but these are the ones that I’ve used. I especially like the free corkage Wednesdays because it has allowed me to bring a couple of my treasures out to share with friends, and that paid for the membership after just a couple of visits. If you don’t understand anything else about me, know that I’m all about the budget!

Roy’s! Roy’s wine club met last Tuesday at the Roy’s restaurant on E. Flamingo. I was not able to go because of a prior commitment, but several of my friends attended. One of them reported that two of the wines had been damaged by heat. I haven’t covered Roy’s (yet), but plan to in the future. I thought that this observation was an important one to mention now, however, because the heat in enclosed cars can be a killer. Never, ever, ever leave wine in a car during late spring, summer, or early fall here in Vegas. You’ll have boiled juice. A couple of friends of mine always keep a portable cooler in the trunk of their cars so that if they run across a deal in wine (or food or whatever), they have a place to store it until they get home. Just by opening up the cooler and purchasing some ice, whatever is put into the cooler won’t be overheated and will keep until it can be properly stored at home. At about $20 +/-, it’s well worth the investment. That’s on my purchase list. As soon as I can fit it into my budget.

By the way, Roy’s made good on the cooked wines, and undamaged wines were poured in their place.

Website News! The tentative launch date for Vegaswineaux.com will be the weekend of July 21/22. We are working diligently to make sure that when the website is launched, it is attractive, usable, and informative. I will let you know how the progress is going and hope to be able to give you an exact date in about two weeks.

Red Wines for Summer! Next week is July 4, and what are you drinking? With my mother and aunt (who are, incredibly, not wine drinkers) over to the house, my choices will be limited to something along the lighter and fruitier side of the spectrum. I had wonderful luck with a great brisket at the Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club thing a couple of weeks ago, and the wines were all Zins from California. So I plan to smoke another brisket for the girls and serve Riesling and Zinfandel. I understand that Rieslings – preferably along the demi sec lines – are a great accompaniment to barbeque. We already know that Zins are. I have served Riesling to them before and they loved it. I will be forced to try both types with the different foods I’ll be cooking. Damn.

I don’t enjoy Cabs and Merlot as much as I usually do during the summer, but Zinfandels, Syrahs, and Petit Sirahs, although bruiser wines, still are great with summer fare. They go well with the heavier foods of summer – barbequed ribs, roasts, briskets, lamb, etc. – without losing their character competing with rubs, spices, and sauces. Incredibly, a big fruity Petit Sirah (a là Rosenblum Heritage Clones or Four Vines Heretic) is also a fantastic pairing with chocolate. Who knew that a big red like Petit Sirah and dark chocolate could be considered health foods!

Of course the backbone of oenophilia for the summer is light white wines. I have lots of basil and an alien life form tomato plant growing in my garden this year, which, along with Mozzarella from Trader Joe’s and fruity extra-virgin olive oil and black salt from Pasolivo, make wonderful Caprese. Pairing that with a Pinot Grigio (Issa Khoury introduced me to Kris PG), add up to near perfection. The bright green leaves of the basil, the snowy Mozzarella, the tiny, perfectly red grape tomatoes all drizzled with golden green EVOO with a grinding of black salt make a beautiful presentation. The Kris is not an overdone bomb such as Santa Margherita, and is what a good quality (and budget friendly at about $12) Pinot Grigio is supposed to be. Crisp and fruity without being sweetish, it is the quintessential Pinot Grigio. Tastes like summer! Having that meal out on the patio on a warm evening is summer personified. Are you jealous?

I have Answers!

I received one question that asked, “how do you find the restaurants?”

I have a secret formula that I use in order to decide which restaurants to patronize. It is called “word of mouth.” Nothing is better than a first-hand recommendation from someone whose palate you respect. Once you remove yourself from the “only the Strip has restaurants” mentality, you will find that Vegas is rich in small, wine-friendly establishments that aren’t out to gouge you because you happen to be vacationing here. Most of the locals restaurants that I’ve visited have had reasonable prices, great services, and restaurant-decent wine prices. As an aside, you should know that with very few exceptions, you will always pay too much for wine in a restaurant. However, it’s often a good opportunity to try a wine that you may have only heard about or to try a new wine and don’t want to experiment with it without having a meal for accompaniment.

The next question asked me about myself.

While I do have some general information about myself in the “About me” link on the right side of this page, I will go into more detail when the website launches. Stay tuned!

There were several other questions, but I answered them in this week’s posting!

My Rant for the Week! As you know from my review of a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago, high restaurant wine prices rankle me. Unfortunately, those high prices feed into people’s perception of wine as a snob drink and not as an integral part of the meal. Beer, for instance, is considered part of a meal in the U.S. I think that explains the discrepancy in relative prices between beer in wine. As an example, a restaurant customer can purchase a 16oz glass of imported beer on tap for about $5.00. On the other hand, a wine of relative quality and retail price may cost twice that or more for about 1/3 the amount of beverage. Once restaurateurs and customers buy into the idea of wine as food, then I think we will see more sensible pricing on menus.

News Flash! In the May 16, 2007, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the following has been reported:

The large research team did a pooled analysis of 12 prospective studies that included 530,469 women and 229,575 men with maximum follow-up times of 7–20 years. Compared with nondrinking, alcohol consumption (…equivalent to slightly more than one alcoholic drink per day) was associated with a decreased risk of renal cell cancer. …Associations between alcohol intake and renal cell cancer were not statistically different across alcoholic beverage type (beer versus wine versus liquor). …Conclusion: Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of renal cell cancer among both women and men in this pooled analysis. (JNCI, Abstract, May 16, 2007)

Next week, we’ll talk about White Zin and how even that has a place in a Wineaux’s cellar!

Grape Expectations!

2007-06-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

After pondering a question that was posed to me Tuesday night at Jimmy’s, I finally came up with a suitable answer. The question was why do I do what I do; in other words, why the Blog and why this particular niche? The answer is simple: I am a regular person. Like most other regular people I know, I like to get the most out of every dollar (I’ve been told that I know how to pinch a penny till it screams), but at the same time, don’t mind spending a little extra if the quality is there. I don’t like getting ripped off, and I like to be taken seriously. Bundle all those together along with a gift for writing and a passion for wines and good food, and you have, well, *me.*

One of the reasons I like Paso Robles so much, for instance, is because there is a real Wine Country with people who have a genuine passion for their wines, make wines of wonderful quality, and except for a couple of notable exceptions (i.e., Turley and Linne Calodo), sell their wines at everyman prices. Most of the winemakers - and their staff - are also so very *nice*! In other words, they make you want their wines, love their wine country, and want to learn more, just by being genuine, regular folk.

Jimmy’s Café had a tasting of Stanley Lambert wines Tuesday night for members of the wine club, Grape Expectations. The whole evening fit beautifully into my philosophy.

Lindsay Stanley – an unpretentious, craggy Aussie with a wicked sense of humor – was the MC Tuesday night and regaled us with stories about his life down under and his lifelong interest in wines. I was fortunate enough to be seated at the table where Jeff, Ali, Jody, and Chris were also being entertained by Lindsay’s ribald stories and sparkling banter.

I have to share some Lindsayisms with you:

“To make wine you don’t have to be clever – I’m living proof of that.”

(Referring to the Merlot in Black Sheep as a single varietal) “We Aussies think of Merlot the same way as we think of foreplay – totally unnecessary!” (the women booed him).

“Its my female wine – spend a lot of money on it and it never says thank you.” (more booing).

There were several others, but this is a “family” column, lol.

According to Jimmy, the wine evening was thrown together at the last minute to accommodate the guest appearance of Lindsay, but the menu didn't seem "last minute" at all. It was beautifully prepared and presented. Period.

The first course was Zucchini-Wrapped Jumbo Scallops over Celery Root Puree with Sweet Garlic and Basil Pesto. Absolutely delicious, and the wrapped scallop had been hand tied with a strand of chives, giving it a gift-wrapped appearance. As “they” say, presentation is everything. The wine paired with this delicious appetizer was Stanley Lambert’s 2005 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. As Mr. Stanley explained, the terrain of Adelaide is similar to that of New Zealand, whose Sauvignon Blancs have become a modern-day phenomenon. He noted that the similarity between the two styles is almost indistinguishable, and he was quite correct.

The surprise came when he and Elliot also served their 2002 Full Sister Semillon and their 2004 Pristine Chardonnay. These two were not on the menu!

The second course was Grilled Double-Cut Lamb Chops in Fresh Herbed Butter with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Gold Beets. Okay, so that I won’t have to say it again, *everything* was delicious. This dish was served with the 2002 Thoroughbred Cabernet Sauvignon. For me, it was an *almost* ideal pairing. To go along with the other surprises of the evening, the 2001 Black Sheep (Shiraz, Malbec, Merlot), 2005 Sensitive Cousin Pinot Noir, 2001 August Shiraz, and their flagship wine, the 2004 Family Tree Shiraz. My favorite with the lamb chops was the Family Tree, a Shiraz with a lush, velvety texture and the characteristic dark fruit, cherries, and black pepper with an amazing and subtle undertone of eucalyptus.

The final course was Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake with Crème Chantilly. Yum. Served with the Choc-a-Bloc Australian Tawny (Mr. Stanley said that they don’t use the word “Port” because that indicates that it came from Portugal) which was perfect with this dessert.

My only criticism for the evening is a very personal one. I hate Reidel "O" glasses. It's the whole swirl thing, you see. :-)

Jimmy Stanfill, the proprietor of Jimmy’s Café, is a cherubic man with a genuine passion for fresh food and good wines. The prices on his menu reflects his and Michaelina’s (isn’t that a pretty name?) belief that good food should be affordable. The food is genuinely fresh and the recipes are Jimmy's own. Jimmy’s Café is located at 8427 W. Lake Mead Blvd., just about ½ block east of Rampart in Las Vegas. Their phone number is 869-3663.

You *have* to try the Crossings Tri-Tip Salad. I had it with a luscious, full-bodied Zinfandel. Yum.

Lunch at Marché Bacchus

2007-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

As an addendum to last week’s review of Sweet Water, I discovered a little tidbit. Food & Wine July 2007 issue just happens to have an article about wine prices in restaurants. Interestingly, the author, Lettie Teague, indicated that high prices in Vegas restaurants are normal. I inferred from the article that she covered only the “Strip” establishments. Many of them, however, do have BYOB policies, even if their corkage is outrageous (does it really cost you $50.00 to open my bottle of wine and bring a suitable glass?!? Gimme a break!) Repeat after me: “Unscrupulous.” "Greedy." "Unconscionable." Very good.

And now, to a real food and wine experience that should be experienced by anyone who is living in or visiting Vegas. The Tex and Fritz’s wine club thing that meets nearly every Saturday at noon-thirty at Marché Bacchus had its usual gathering. We generally arrive early to enjoy the free tastings out on the front patio, even on days where there are wine events/tastings at other members’ homes. We’re a pretty dedicated group of wine folks! This also gives us time to shop for wine, which they will hold for us when we’re finished with lunch.

This last Saturday, June 9, there were nine (count ‘em) of us there. I don’t go regularly enough, but felt that this would be a good day to enjoy the warm Vegas sunshine and have lunch and wine with friends by the lake. Marché Bacchus is located in Desert Shores, a gorgeous community in NW Las Vegas, well off the beaten path. The back of the restaurant/retail wine shop *is* the lake and makes for wonderful ambiance.

Their wine list is the wine store, and the prices are what you’d expect in any low cost retail establishment. You can order your food and then browse among hundreds of bottles of wines for something suitable for your meal, or you can ask Rob, the ubiquitous sommelier, to choose something suitable. He’s good. Really good.

Because we as a group are always in learning mode, we have our wine poured into decanters so that we can blind taste our way through it to figure out what it is. This can be a humbling experience. This weekend was no exception.

The usual number in the group is less than six, so one bottle of wine is usually enough. However, we decided that two bottles would be perfect for such a large number of people.

Because we are regulars, Rob and Agathe (one of the owners) conspired against us. We were served two wines, both red, both decanted.

The first wine had us nearly reduced to fisticuffs as we argued whether it was old world or new world. It was new world, in my opinion, because of the fruit on the nose. It was old world in others’ opinions because it had a lot of earth along with the fruit. (Don’t even ask. I was wrong. But I digress.) The nose indicated cherries, plum, leather, and a touch of vanilla, and the earthy quality began to assert itself more as the wine opened. However, the one quality that totally scrambled the nose at first was the amount of alcohol. It smelled hot! Once the alcohol blew off, a bit of blackberry, earth, and flowers started appearing. Then we tasted, and the confusion continued. It was fruity, but this is where the earthiness really came through along with lots of spice. It was almost Zin-like in character. I finally threw up my hands and declared that I had no clue. The “old world” “new world” argument is the only thing that continued. The verdict? It was 2003 Pigmentum Malbec, from Cahors, France.

We were stunned. Several of us (me included) did not know that Malbec was still being grown in any amount in France. Apparently, it is. What’s more, this bottle of tasty wine retails at Marché for only $11.95. Quite a bargain. By the way, in spite of the heat on the nose, the declared alcohol level was 12.5%. Tex called the winemaker a liar.

The next wine was poured once the ruckus subsided, and we were transported into olfactory heaven. Tex asked the group, “what do you get on the nose?” My reply was, “I don’t know. But I want to bathe in it.”

The nose was incredible. Dark fruit, berries, flowers (I told Agathe that it smelled like Red Viognier and she rolled her eyes, lol), romance, perfume, spice, along with oak characteristics. It had an incredibly rich, velvety mouthfeel, and the taste validated the nose. The one thing we all agreed on (finally) was that it was new world. Stunning wine and completely luscious.

We didn’t realize that we’d been given a very special treat. 2004 Duckhorn Merlot, Three Palms Vineyard. Completely worthy of worship. The retail price made us gasp, but because we hadn’t been expecting anything so dear, Agathe and Greg gave us a break. I love them!

By the way, we all bombed out on figuring out the varietal on this one, too! But as our waiter said, many of us are so used to drinking blends that we don’t recognize single varietals easily any more. Because this is the most high-end merlot I’ve ever had, this was an epiphany. We decided that in order to sharpen our palates, we need to drink more wine! Good wine.

We were there for about two hours. Marché’s prices on food and wine are extraordinary, and we had a glorious time. This is how a restaurant experience is supposed to be. There were nine of us, the conversation was constant and flowing (even when we were arguing), the food was wonderful, and the wines were spectacular. Can’t get much better than that.

Prices? I have had lunch there which consisted of a bowl of soup and a sandwich, a glass of wine (French Rosé which they pour by the glass. Can you imagine?!?), and the total came to about $22.00 which included tax and tip. All of this while dining on the patio, contemplating the beautiful landscape. A bargain in almost anyone’s book.

If you’re from Vegas and haven’t been there, shame on you. If you’re going to be visiting Vegas, you must make this a destination spot. It’s out of the way (wayyy out of the way if you’re on the Strip or all points east), but well worth the drive. If you’re there on a Saturday, join us!

http://www.marchebacchus.com

Next week, back to Paso Robles!

Sweet Water Experience not so Sweet

2007-06-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Whenever I go into a restaurant, I’m always in “what’s on the wine list” mode. If a wine list is not available, then I enjoy the food without it or will ask if I can bring my own.

I have to admit that I was intrigued when Sweet Water was decided upon as the destination restaurant last Friday night. We had received several informal opinions of the establishment, ranging from “fantastic” to “save your money.” Because I trust the palates of all of those who had eaten there, I figured that our own first-hand experience was the only way to go.

Sweet Water is brand new and the décor is very attractive. The seafood market just inside of the entryway showcases beautiful fish and seafood. I can’t give you a comparison on the prices, but I can tell you that it looked incredibly fresh.

The four of us were seated immediately and were given a complimentary sample of pistachio-encrusted tuna pâté with black sesame seed crackers. Delish.

Unfortunately, that was the last really positive thing that happened.

My huge pet peeve is what I call restaurant wine extortion. While I realize that it’s customary for restaurants to mark up wines to luxury-store levels, I was really irritated when I perused Sweet Water’s wine list. I’m pretty pragmatic. They want to make a buck from everything that they sell. I understand that. However, with my background as a bartender, bar manager, wine customer, and subscriber to “trade” publications, I know when the usual markup has gone to stratospheric levels. That is certainly the case here.

The first irritation came before we ever went into the restaurant. Sweet Water is not a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) restaurant. Therefore, if you want wine with your meal, you’re at the mercy of the wine list. I bring my own wines to restaurants on a fairly regular basis and it’s always a wine that’s not on the establishment’s own wine list. That would be tacky. Not only that, but there are several restaurants that have sensible corkage fees, or their prices are so reasonable that you don’t mind buying from their wine list. Sweet Water’s prices on their wines had me gasping with disbelief. I will give you a couple of for instances: Chateau St. Michelle Riesling, which normally ranges from about $7.99 to $10.00 was priced at $30.00. Benton Lane Pinot Noir Willamette Oregon was $46.00. I buy it from TJ’s for $18.00 and have seen it for less elsewhere. The worst one I saw on the list was the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand for which Sweet Water charges $12.00 per glass or $46.00 for the bottle. You can purchase it at Costco for about $11.00, maybe a dollar or two more at the other usual suspects. I was nearly apoplectic that anyone would have the cajones to charge that much for a nice, but very low retail cost, NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I took lots of notes on several of the other wines, but you get the drift. Unless you have the extra depth to the pockets, don’t plan to have wine in any form at Sweet Water.

So when it came time to peruse the food menu, I will admit to being very irritated.

The first thing we noticed is that while sitting and waiting (lots of “just waiting” was yet to come), we never got any bread or any other appetizer. When we inquired of our waitress, she indicated that because of the size of the meals, the owners decided not to serve bread so that people wouldn’t get too full. However, there was a garlic cheese bread available for $4.95 per ½ loaf.

We ordered one appetizer of crab cakes, inquiring as to whether we should order two. We were told that the cakes were pretty large, so one order would probably be fine for the four of us. Well, when the crab cakes came out, we eventually found them hiding under the dipping bowls on the plate. Each of us had a mouthful of crab cake. To be fair, the crab cakes were absolutely delicious, but there was no “large” involved whatsoever.

We ordered two chopped salads to share among the four of us, along with the garlic bread. We also ordered our entrees at the same time; there were two orders of fire-roasted yellow fin tuna, one of Hawaiian ono, and my own order of pan-seared mahi.

This is where being with people you really like and can converse with really comes in handy. Because if you’re waiting and waiting, you have to have something to do. We waited and waited. Etc.

My companions had ordered iced tea, and I had initially requested just water because I had been planning to purchase something from the wine list to enjoy with dinner. The water is not filtered, just good ol’ Las Vegas tap water. Yuck. So I also ordered an iced tea. Which was interesting, because although our very diligent beverage guy made sure that our glasses were filled, there was no actual “ice” involved until he asked us if we needed ice for our iced tea. While I understand that they may be concerned that the tea may be watered down by the ice, warm iced tea is problematic by itself. But I digress.

Our entrees arrived and one of my companions stopped them before they placed the food on the table in front of us and asked, “Where is our salad?” He received a momentarily blank look from the “boss looking” guy who said that we’d be getting our salads with our entrees. That’s what we wanted, right? My friend said, “No! We expect to get our salads before dinner.” This is when boss guy asked him (crossly, with attitude, negatively – fill in the blank), “So what do you expect me to do?” Can we say zero to pissed in a heartbeat? I absolutely could not imagine such a response from any of the establishments that we frequent! Of course we refused the entrees because they didn’t even have the salads available anyway! They took the food back, and we eventually received our salads. We had given explicit instructions that the salads (quite large, by the way) were going to be shared. After asking and waiting, we finally got second plates so that we could share. And, once again, the food was delicious. And the garlic cheese bread was incredible.

When our salad plates were cleared away we had to wait (surprise!) for our entrees to be served. Our rewarmed dishes came out. The yellow fin and ono apparently survived the ordeal with little damage. I had the opportunity to eat the first tough mahi I had ever tasted in my life. I took it because I didn’t dare say that it wasn’t acceptable. I may still be there waiting for a replacement if I had. We shared a rice dish that was quite tasty, and we eventually received our broccoli rabe just before the rest of our meal was finished. By the way, no serving utensils came with the side dishes.

Of course by this time my friends were outraged by the service, the dismissive attitude of the boss guy, and the overall problems that we’d had. To her credit, the manager gave us some complimentary desserts – key lime éclairs, cheesecake, and something with a cookie. All delicious.

This may sound contradictory, but the servers and the manager on duty were wonderful. They were concerned about our long wait, the mixup in our orders (there were more, but then this review would turn into a book), the heated exchange between my companion and the boss guy, and our overall unhappiness with our experience.

The synopsis is as follows:

The food overall was quite tasty. I’m sure my fish was delicious the first time it came out, but after being taken back for the eternity we had to wait for salads and plates, it suffered in its return. I didn’t expect to get a fresh serving of fish.
Don’t plan on wine with a meal unless you are abysmally ignorant about wine prices at retail or don't mind being gored.
Allow lots of time. Our dinner experience took nearly 2-1/2 hours, and that was without wine. Other plans for the evening were shot.
Apparently, you have to specify if you want salads before your entrée. Be sure to do so.
The servers are terrific. Too bad the kitchen process let them down.

I have no plans of ever returning to Sweet Water. The negatives (high wine prices, no BYOB, slow service, extra charges on things that are usually a part of a normal restaurant meal (bread), upper management attitude) definitely outweigh the positives (tasty food, wonderful servers, ambiance). When upper management realizes that the success of Las Vegas rises and sets on the philosophy of superior customer service, maybe they can make sure that such fiascos are few and far between.

Sweet Water is located at 9460 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson, in a new strip mall. Their website is still under construction. I hate that.

Next week, back to wines. Thanks for letting me rant.

White Wines Rock!!! finally.

2007-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are reading the headline and thinking that I’ve lost my mind. Not really. Bear with me here.

First of all, I love red wines. Period. In fact, I call myself a Pinot Ho. Okay, I’m *the* Pinot Ho! Most of my friends also love red wines and have given themselves various designations. One of my friends calls himself a Syrah Slut. Another calls herself a Zin Bitch, borrowing from the Four Vines description of lovers of their Zinfandel. My oldest son admits to loving Cabernets, but as of yet has not given himself an appropriate title. I’m working on that.

Now that you know the crowd I run with, you can appreciate how I’m risking my credibility by writing an article based on *gasp!* white wines.

Many years ago, I had the fortune of drinking a really good California Chardonnay. It was an ethereal, life-changing experience. I actually tasted a white wine that had substance in my mouth, and for the first time, I understood what the word “epiphany” meant. That was in the early 90s.

Until just a couple of years ago, I was still on the quest for the great Chardonnay experience and kissed a lot of frogs in between. Most Chards I experienced were either overoaked butter bombs with very bitter finishes, or could hardly be differentiated from lemonade.

Meanwhile, my experiences with red wine were positive as I learned more about varietals, terroir, blends, aromas, characteristics, countries of origin, blah blah blah. Once I got my wine feet underneath me – so to speak – I began to get in touch with my inner wine snob. Honestly, I never thought I’d move from my early days of “Smells like grapes! Tastes like wine!” to the point where after sniffing and tasting a wine, I’d be able to name the year, place, and type of wine. I’m finally a Wineau!

I never forsook my quest for a great Chardonnay, and because of that, I began to taste (and enjoy) a complete range of white wines. And in the process, I lost my ABC attitude. Oh, that means Anything But Chardonnay. Here are some of my favorites:

Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris – Grigio is from Italy, Gris is from France. Although they are somewhat different in character due to their places of origin, they both offer a well-balanced, minerally wine that pairs well with light summer fare. In fact, one of my favorite summer meals is a plate of Caprese (made with my homegrown basil and tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, Hawaiian red salt, and drizzled with Pasolivo Kalamata Olive Oil) paired with a nicely chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.

Albariño – this is the elegant white wine from Spain. And, as far as I know, it is still grown only in Spain. Its bouquet hints at apples, flowers, and lemon/lime, and it possesses a silky mouthfeel with the taste corresponding to the nose. There are a few of quality that are now available in this country, and they are carried by our favorite wine stores.

Torrontés – Wow. What a nose. This smells like flowers in a bottle with just a bit of orange juice. Although it *smells* sweet, it is a bone-dry wine. I served this at a home wine tasting last year, and both bottles quickly disappeared. And to the person I told that this was from Chilé, I’m sorry to say that I was mistaken. It’s the signature white grape of Argentina. I knew it was from somewhere south of the border.

Sauvignon Blanc/Sancerre – Hard to believe that this is the same grape, particularly if you’re comparing a New Zealand Sauv Blanc to a Sancerre from the Loire Valley. The NZ version is bright and fruity, where gooseberry, grapefruit, lime, melon, passion fruit, grass, and the ever-present “cat pee” aromas dominate. The Sancerre (depending upon which area of the Loire in which it’s grown) has, of course, a more Old World profile of herbs, wet rock, and the attributes mentioned above. Take note that in California, it’s often called Fumé Blanc. This is a very food-friendly wine and goes with just about anything you’d think to serve with white wine. As a side note, the pairing of Sancerre and goat cheese is legendary.

Viognier – Ahhh. Let’s talk flowers. Honeysuckle, apricots, peaches, spring blossoms, and touches of spice coupled with a contradictory dry palate make this wine amazing. I have more bottles of this than any other white wine because I find that I can drink this with or without food. Its crisp, clean flavors go well with mahi-mahi and fruit salsa or can be poured just to enjoy on its own. Pairing not required.

All of these wines are readily available (some more so than others), are generally ready to drink now, and are not very expensive. Sancerre, because it’s French, from the Loire, and has an aging life, will be more expensive, usually ranging from $20 to $27. Viognier has a range of prices as well, but the upper end is rarely above $23. It’s rarer than the other varietals, but as more of it is grown, I think the prices will at least moderate. The others are much less expensive, with 90+ NZ Sauvignon Blancs available for as little as $13. Even less in some stores! In fact, the tasting at Khoury’s on Wednesday revealed a surprisingly nice Sauvignon Blanc for $8.99. A steal at any price. By the way, my favorite Viognier is from Villicana Winery in Paso Robles. I can’t tell you how much it costs because I don’t care. It has the best balance of wild nose and dry, fruity palate with a lip-smacking acidity that I haven’t found anywhere else. Many Viogniers, alas, are somewhat “flabby” (that means that they’re nice tasting for juice, but not good wine).

Now for my nemesis – the eternal search for the perfect Chardonnay. And yes, I’ve finally found Chards that took me back to my first “real” experience with Chardonnay, with rich mouthfeel, apple, citrus, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Unoaked Chards showcase these fruit characterstics and make good quaffing wines. However, in my opinion, the best Chards copy the Burgundian model of fermenting in French oak barrels and then go through secondary malolactic fermentation. This process gives the best California Chards and white Burgundies their famous characteristics of cream, vanilla, butter, and toast. Combined with the fruit elements, this is what makes the perfect Chardonnay. Unfortunately, this process is what makes the best Chardonnays expensive. And OF COURSE I love the expensive Chards! However, if you do your homework, you can find a wonderful Chard at a great price. For instance, Chateau St. Jean Robert Young Vineyard Chardonnay, is wonderful at about $20 at Costco if you can find it.

Don’t let price be your only guide, however. You must taste the wines. I have found many oaked Chards with a bitter aftertaste (“finish”) that detracted from the enjoyment of the wine, and that were so heavy in the oak characteristics that the fruit was lost altogether. The prices varied from inexpensive to “you’ve got to be kidding!!”

So there you have it. While I’ve hardly touched on all of the wonderful white wines that are available, I’ve shared a few of my favorites. Red wines will always be my first choice. But as we slide into warm summer days, it’s hard to beat a memorable glass of a slightly chilled white wine, fresh food of summer, and great company by the pool or on the patio on a sultry evening. That’s the closest thing to nirvana I can imagine.

Weekend in Paso - Part Deux

2007-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Windward has Burgundian-style Pinot Noir, which are flavorful and earthy with an amazing, food-friendly core of acidity that make these wines great for pairing. A discussion with Marc Goldberg revealed a man who is very passionate about his Pinots and whose vision is to let Americans know that a fruit-bomb Pinot is not a correct Pinot.

Castoro Cellars (1-800-DamFine – I love the phone number!) was there in full fun mode. Niels was autographing great posters (Irene is Dam Fine) while we savored their wines. They make a complete line of quality, moderately priced wines that were made for quaffing with friends. My favorite of theirs is the Rosato di Syrah (help me if I spelled it wrong!), which, unfortunately, they did not have at the Festival. It is an inky (for a Rose) wine with lots of Syrah character. I was introduced to their wines (and to Paso Robles) by a friend of mine and I have to thank her for the heads up!

It’s pretty obvious that I’m a fan of Hug Cellars. One of the reasons I became such a fan was because of his 2005 release of a Pinot from the Orchid Hill Vineyards. That wine with Thanksgiving dinner was absolute perfection. You can imagine how excited I was to find out that Orchid Hill is a winery in its own right. The only varietals they produce are Pinot Noir, Syrah, Viognier, and Zinfandel. Because they can focus on just a few items, they have been able to bring their entire portfolio to a very high standard. Their wines are delicious, but the Pinot (in my humble opinion) is a standout. Once again, it’s that mouth-bracing style that I like so much that makes me think immediately of Grilled Salmon with Capers as a pairing. Karen did the pouring honors and impressed me by giving kudos to Augie Hug for the fine job he did with OH grapes last year. See what I mean about Paso folks? By the way, they just opened up a new tasting room right off the park in downtown Paso. Gorgeous.

As I may have mentioned before, Villicana has the best Viognier (once again, in *my* opinion. YMMV.) and when we arrived at their tent, I quaffed a nice pour of it and once again felt that my assessment was correct. Then Alex made a challenge! He indicated that his grapes and those of Anglim Winery are from the same source. So away we marched, searching for the Anglim tent in order to do strategic Viognier testing. Um, *tasting.*

As it turned out, the particular Viognier they were pouring at that time was not from the same grape source as Villicana, but was fragrant and delicious, nevertheless. Because it was later in the day and I could feel palate fatigue creeping in, I limited my tasting to simply the Viognier and Syrah. Does anyone in Paso make a bad Syrah?

OF COURSE I had to stop by Tobin James’ booth. Toby was there in his glory, and they were pouring his wonderful wines. I took a couple of sips of Zin, a free cowboy hat, and was on my way. This is another winery that has a noticeable presence in my wine collection. My favorite (and I didn’t see it being poured), is the Fat Boy Zin, but I wouldn’t turn any of them down! Tooth-stainers, all.

There were several wineries that I tried for the first time, and there are three that really stood out. I’m not saying that the wineries are new (although I know that John Alan is relatively new), but they are new to me.

Hansen had a nice little crowd around their tent and I tasted their Syrah and Zinfandel. According to my notes, I thought their Zin was beautiful. Their website isn’t completely up yet, but promises to be up and running shortly.

John Alan himself was helping to man the pouring booth and makes a variety of very nice wines. This is a brand new winery, and John Alan is enthusiastic about his efforts. And he should be. As much as I loved his Syrah, he was very excited about the new release later this year which he stated would be even better. His Viognier had Viognier character (I’ve tasted too many that are either Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay wannabes), and his entire portfolio was promising. And yummy. Once again, we have website issues, but stay tuned for the unveiling. The website address will be http://www.johnalanwinery.com.

Another new winery – for me because I know they’ve been in Paso for a while – was Wild Coyote. WC had Zins, Syrahs, a Merlot, and a Zin Port that, unfortunately, was not open. When I say unfortunately, I mean unfortunately for *me* because apparently they’re about sold out of it. It’s in a wonderful bottle, and since my first real Port experience (American Port, of course) was a Zin Port, I only have love for Zin Ports! Gianni himself was there pouring, and exudes humor and friendliness. I will definitely make a point of visiting Wild Coyote next time I’m in Paso, which I hope is very soon!

Unfortunately, there were those wineries that I missed. And absolutely HATED that I missed! All of them are good, with a couple that are legendary in the world of wine. For instance, I missed both the Turley and the Linne Calodo tents. Both of these wineries produce incredible Zins and other varietals, are well-known throughout the wine world, and have a waiting list for those fans who want to be in their wine clubs.

Robert Hall is great, not only because of their nicely-priced and delicious wines, but also because of Robert Hall himself. He is quite a character, but I didn’t even get to stop by the booth to see if he was there on Saturday. I feel so ashamed! They have an expansive selection of wines, and there are several that are my favorites. By the way, they recently garnered a 93 score from Wine Enthusiast for their wonderful Vintage Port. Ha! I have a few bottles of it! By the way, when you are in Paso, you have to visit their winery. It is one of the most beautiful settings in the area.

Another booth/tent (whatever) I missed on Saturday was Carmody-McKnight. They have a very unusual history regarding the quality of their soils, and their wines reflect that quality. I own several bottles of their wine, including their new late harvest Chardonnay. Waiting for the special occasion! But I digress. They also have Pinot (which is ALWAYS gone by the time I’m ready to taste it), a great Cabernet, and Day in the Park, their unoaked Chardonnay.

And last but not least, I was able to stop by the Garretson tent, eager and excited to wrap my lips around some Celeigh – their Rhone Rosé – and was bitterly disappointed (like that?) that they had run out. Argh! As it turned out, that was the last tent anyway, and my palate had died by that time. If you’ve never checked it out, you have to check out their website. THIS IS A MUST!! Garretson wines are a love/hate relationship, and the fact that they give their wines Gaelic names makes for all kinds of pronunciation fun. The Celeigh, for instance, is pronounced “Kayley.” Their flagship Syrah, the Craic, is pronounced “Crack.” Want some Craic? LOL. This is Syrah with about 6% Viognier which makes for an amazing combination. It is a must to check out Garretson wines and decide for yourself if you love them or hate them. I love them. There’s nothing in between.

That’s about it! Whew! Obviously, I love Paso Robles. I really do … it’s my favorite, it’s local (as far as Wine Countries go), and the people are incredible.

To those of you who wanted to know, here is the link to take a look at Stanley Lambert’s Pristine Chardonnay.

Sorry about the posting being a day late. Oh, by the way - Marche Bacchus is having a Stanley Lambert tasting at their store tomorrow. Hope to see you there! Our buddy, Elliott, will be there as always.

Weekend in Paso - Part One

2007-05-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend I had!

A weekend in Paso Robles during their annual Wine Festival was more fun than I could have imagined. What’s more, I got to meet and greet some old friends and find some new ones along the way.

The purpose of this Blog is to disseminate information about wine, food, restaurant, and other lifestyle events in the local Las Vegas area. However, it’s nice to take a sidebar and report on something a little different. Well, this week’s entry is the sidebar.

“Wine Country,” as you know, encompasses a lot of territory. Be it Southern California, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, Sonoma, or Napa, there are lots of options locally (relatively speaking, of course). The wine countries of Oregon and Washington are formidable contenders, as are the areas of Northern Michigan and New York State with their cold-weather varietals. Of course, there are those who think that outside of Europe, there *are* no wine countries – the others are just posers. We could go on and on, talking about the areas in Chile and Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, and South Africa. “Wine Country” is a big deal as more and more people start to “get” the European idea of wine as food.

This weekend in Paso Robles cemented in my mind why this particular Wine Country is my favorite. Not just because of outstanding wines (thank goodness they have been flying below the Wine Spectator radar…that means more for me!), but because of the warmth of the people and winemakers there. Yes, they are competitors, but they seem to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of each other’s businesses. And will go on record stating that those Paso wineries who have snooty attitudes (what I affectionately call the “Napa Syndrome”), won’t last too long there.

I visited a couple of wineries and tasting rooms over the weekend, and spent a little time seeking out new wineries at the festival. I’d like to share some of my experiences with you. My tasting notes and preferences are strictly my own. Your mileage may vary.

A quick trip into town to check out the Park for the next day’s festival found us at the Midlife Crisis Winery tasting room, located at 1244 Pine Street. Wines of note are their Pinot Grigio, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Roo Boy Red. Fun wines, and I especially enjoyed, well *all* of them. I also found a Wineaux shirt (I kid you not!), and a Wine Diva visor. I love the name of their wine club which is the Crisis Management Team. But don’t let the fun name and cutesy wine club moniker fool you. Their wines are serious, and the Zinfandel and Syrah are worth noting. Big, full-bodied and with the characteristics that the varietals are *supposed* to have. Their Syrah and Zin are both gold-medal winners and are starting to turn some heads in the wine world.

We then went into the hills of Paso to check out some old favorites.

Two of the first places we went to were Mt. Olive Organic Farm and Pasolivo. Mt. Olive Organic Farm has lots of fresh organic produce that they grow themselves. They also have an incredible number of olives, salsas, tapenades, dressings, etc., all of which are organic and delicious. They serve sandwiches, salads, pastas, juices, and more, and have a wonderful outdoor patio where you can enjoy your meal. They are located at 3445 Adelaida Road in Paso.

Pasolivo has olive oils that they press from their own olives from their own trees. I am a member of their club – The Press Club (get it?) – and have never once regretted joining. They are a wonderful, friendly group and will give you a tour of their pressing facilities. They have lots of olive-related products, and also carry an assortment of vinegars and salt. Once you have tasted their olive oils, the storebought stuff seems insipid by contrast.

While at Pasolivo, we met Sabrina Kruse of Jack Creek Cellars who was pouring her fabulous, Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs. Jack Creek was new to me, and it was a happy discovery since I am a self-described “Pinot Ho.”

As I mentioned in last week’s entry, Halter Ranch is one of my favorites even though I’m not a member of their club at this time. We stopped at their winery, located at 8910 Adelaida Road, and happily tasted through their lineup. Their two basic blends, Ranch White and Ranch Red are two of the best to consider as house wines; they are low cost and yummy! In fact, two of my friends and I had a heated discussion over who’d get to keep the single bottle of Ranch White received in a shipment! Their Syrah is fabulous, and their Estate Reserve Cab is also exemplary. Heck, all of their wines are terrific, and the girls in the pouring room are friendly and knowledgeable. And all are Alex Villicana fans. More on that later!

We ended the day at Villicana Winery, located at 2725 Adelaida Road. Absolutely wonderful wines, and the best Viognier around, bar none. Alex and Monica Villicana do an incredible job in making sure that quality and varietal distinctiveness are correct in each of their wines. Alex and Monica are also very cute and each has a fan club :-). They hosted a Friday night barbeque which was enjoyed along with the guitarist, some of their fabulous Zinfandel, and good friends. As a side note, there was a group there who said they were from Vegas. POSERS!! They were NOT from Vegas!! They were, however, Vegas fans and were thrilled that there was someone there who was *actually* from Vegas. They were a fun crowd and were quite obviously enjoying themselves. I felt like a celebrity!

Anyway, my favorite Villicana wines are all of them. Which is why I’m a member of their club! I really don’t care what comes in the shipment, because I know all of the bottles are going to be enjoyable. My favorites (okay, okay, I do have some favorites!) are their Viognier, Rosé, and Zinfandel.

Before attending the Festival, my friends said, “Caves.” ????? As it turns out, Eberle has tours of their man-made wine caves. Holy Spelunking, Batman! Although these caves are man made, they have developed characteristics of natural caves in that their ceilings are forming stalactites, which are natural limestone drips.

They also have a bunch of great wines! I tasted their Viognier, Syrah Rosé, Full Boar Red, Syrah, Up Shiraz, Reserve Estate Cab, and Muscat Canelli. I bought two bottles of the Full Boar Red. Yummy, well-priced, and another great candidate for a “house wine”!

Then the Festival! It was nearly as zoo-like as UNLVino, but cheaper and outdoors. I connected with some of my old favorites, and found some new ones as well. I will talk about my oldies today and update on the new discoveries in my regular entry on Thursday. By the way, wine wasn't for sale at the Festival, so taking copious notes was a must.

As I mentioned in the last entry, Four Vines is a fun winery with great wines. Unfortunately, they didn’t have Naked Chardonnay with them on Saturday. I will admit to being a fan of buttery, well-oaked Chards, and have found that many unoaked Chards taste like fruit juice and lack the character that oak imparts. I don’t claim to know everything, but I believe that all white Burgundies are oaked (if you know differently, let me know and I’ll share with the readership). Other than Stanley Lambert’s Pristine Chardonnay (Australia), I thought all the rest were boring, Naked included. That is, until the most recent release (2005) which has hit the mark just right. It has all of the mouthfeel and taste of a lightly-oaked Chardonnay with none of the sometimes bitter finish. Obviously, I was disappointed that they didn’t have any there!

They did have Loco, Anarchy, The Biker, Zinfandel Dusi, and my personal favorite, Heretic. Heretic is Petit Sirah, and so very wonderful! Rich, luscious, and tooth-staining.

Many of the Paso wineries are small, and they are focused on exquisite quality rather than cranking out wines by the tens of thousands of cases. One of the best examples of quality-driven winemaking is another one of my personal favorites, Hug Cellars. Augie Hug and Edgar were manning the tasting tent and as always, their wines did not disappoint. They were pouring their portfolio of Syrahs as well as their wonderful Casa Mirales Romanze Rosé, to which I am hopelessly addicted. On my way home on Sunday, I stopped by their tasting room and *somehow* bought several bottles of their wines, including a bottle of the fabulous 2005 Rancho Ontiveros Pinot Noir, which has just garnered a 93 point score from Wine Enthusiast. Forget about finding this in your local wine store; if they have *any* left at all, it’s only available in person at the winery. Augie produces his wines in cases of several hundred at most, or as in the case of the Rosé, less than 100 cases were made. Most of the bottles are at my house :-). At any rate, if you can get to their winery and stock up, you won’t be disappointed. Do it now since they’ve been discovered by Wine Enthusiast (much more credible, in my opinion, than Wine Spectator). Damn. Less for me. Their tasting room is located at 2323 Tuley Ct. Suite 120 D, which is just off the 46E on the way out of town. Hard to find and well worth the extra effort.

I love Opolo! Their Mountain Zinfandel is legendary, and they are always surprising club members with a variety of new wines, many of which are only available through the club. For instance, in my last shipment I received two bottles of Montagne Mare, a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Barbera. These are both big grapes and I wasn’t sure if I would be well served by opening a bottle. The verdict? Go ahead! It’s good now, or if I want to lay them down for a while, that would work as well. It’s fully approachable at this time so I won’t be disappointed. Hm. Time to plan a home dinner! This is another winery that has a great variety of wines, good prices, and are the some of the friendliest and most knowledgeable you’d want to meet.

I think I’ve made your eyeballs bleed enough! In my next entry, I will talk about some more of my old favorites such as Tobin James and Windward and put the spotlight on some new ones (new to me), including John Alan Winery, Hansen, Anglim, and Orchid Hill. Stay tuned!!

Wine Clubs! Or why my budget screams twice a year ...or so

2007-05-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

There are wine clubs and there are wine clubs. There are those clubs that charge you a monthly fee and send you several bottles of wine every month. I belonged to one for a while. It was ugly. Each and every wine was, at best, mediocre. There was not a single one that I felt the wine was worth a repeat buy. Let’s just call it an expensive lesson.

Then there are the home wine tasting clubs. If you’ve been a part of this blog for a while, you know that my first wine club disbanded after many years in existence. This club was having home tasting get-togethers long before it became a part of part of popular culture. I now belong to the loosely-knit Tex and Fritz’s Wine Club. Thing. Although very casual in organization and “membership,” it meets several times a month, has blind (!!!) tastings at each meeting, and I have to say that Tex runs a pretty tight ship. This has helped to sharpen my palate and make me really pay attention to the characteristics of the wine that I’m tasting.

And then there are the winery wine clubs. I belong to several, have quit a few, and wish I could belong to more. It would save in shopping. Sort of.

After many months of being on the waiting list, I was finally given the opportunity to purchase an allocation from Kosta Browne. I received my full allocation plus two, and was very happy. Quite broke, but happy. Kosta Browne has great Pinots and a new Rosé, by the way.

I also belong to Hug Cellars, Opolo, Robert Young Estates, and Villicana wine clubs. Robert Young Estates (the makers of Scion), is the only one located in Napa. The others are located in Paso Robles.

Hug makes Pinots. Surprisingly Burgundian in character with the bright fruit you expect from California. I have ONE bottle left from my Paso visit last year, but, thankfully, have several bottles from my shipment. I’m sure Augie will let me know if he makes other stuff, but I absolutely love his Pinots! And the Rosé (see eyeballs rolling back into head).

My favorite wines from Opolo are the Sangiovese, Fusion, and Mountain Zin. They have a new one that’s only available to the membership (I didn’t see it on their website) called Montagne Mare. I haven’t opened mine up yet, but Don and Mark – whose palates I trust – said it’s pretty awesome. That’s true winespeak!

Villicana has astonishingly beautiful Viognier, Syrah, and Rosé. They probably have other stuff, but that’s what I love from them! Alex and Monica are the winemakers (they’re both very cute, and Alex looks like Clark Kent), and do a great job of keeping their membership informed of winery goings-on.

Robert Young Estates was the first wine club I joined, thanks to Khoury’s. Issa and Nura had gotten in a small shipment and had a tasting. I tasted the Scion and nearly died. They were able to order some for me, I joined the wine club, and the rest, as they say, is history. I just received my shipment of the 2003 Scion and plan on having a small vertical sometime later this year. I have five years of Scion (1999-2003), and I think that will be fun. They are largely undiscovered in spite of phenomenal ratings from all of the big guns of the wine publishing world.

I once belonged to Linne Calodo, Robert Hall, Peay, Halter Ranch, and Williams Selyem. The reasons I’m not members of their clubs vary. I “resigned” from Linne Calodo because they charged more for their wines than I could buy them retail. That made no sense to me! That was also a disappointment because I lust after their wines. But since I can satisfy my “Problem Child” and “Outsider” cravings at Khoury’s, resigning my membership was not a loss.

Peay and Williams Selyem are both wineries of extraordinary excellence. Unfortunately, my wallet is not. So it was with great reluctance that I withdrew from their coveted list memberships.

Halter Ranch has begun showing up in retail outlets recently (Valley Cheese and Wine), and Robert Hall has been a retail staple for years, so it wasn’t necessary for me to continue memberships in their clubs.

There are several clubs that I would love to be a member of just to get their wines! One of them is Four Vines. Yes, Four Vines is available locally, but they have such fun wines that I would love to be surprised twice a year. The Four Vines pourers at the winery are a hoot and make wine fun. The only downside is that their washable tattoos don’t wash off very easily. I had some explaining to do about the Naked and ZinBitch tattoos that were prominently displayed on my neckline. But that’s another story.

The other winery I lust after is Dain. Now, I haven’t had any Dain, but according to the Mark Squires Forum (of which David Dain is a member), their Syrahs and Pinots are supposed to be absolutely ethereal. Because they are a small, “boutique” winery, their wines are not available by retail. And since their wines are under $50 a bottle, they aren’t at the gouging stage, either.

Are there more? Tons! So many wine clubs, so little $$$$. To say nothing of my liver …

New discoveries!

If you haven’t been to the Bonjour Bistro on Eastern just north of the 215, you’re missing out on a lovely French experience. If you’re lucky, you’ll have “Tony” (we think he’s actually “Antoine”) who is a hoot with a wicked sense of humor and a great sense of taking care of the customer.

As always, if you have new discoveries, old standbys, tasting notes, or upcoming events you’d like to share, just let me know. Until next time!

Next week, a couple of reviews on places we’ve been, food we’ve eaten, and wine we’ve drunk (drank? drinked?)

To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.
Clifton Fadiman
1902–1999

It's Official! Wine Drinkers are Healthier. Period.

2007-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it wonderful when you discover that your favorite sin is good for you? Well, my passion for all things vino has led me into the budget-busting world of multiple subscriptions to everything, and my latest issue of Wine Spectator Online was just chock full of great stuff. Well, the latest issue just put a big smile on my face!

Before I get to that, however, I just want to throw out a little opinion about Wine Spectator. While I think the printed edition is a little pompous and the ratings somewhat skewed to the advertising dollar, I *really* like the online version. Much less arrogant, very approachable, and not so tannic. Kind of a like a really good red wine. I’ve been enjoying the issues for a couple of months now, and wanted to share an ongoing series that they’ve been printing.

According to an article written in the online version, wine drinkers are healthier than drinkers of beer and spirits. This is based on new research conducted on men living in Finland. That's not too much of a surprise considering the lifestyles associated with each of the beverage types, but the study also suggested that moderate consumption of wine may contribute to a better, longer life. They cited a study done over the course of nearly 30 years which looked at the cardiovascular health of men ranging in age from 44-55 years. The study began in 1974.

Results. Alcoholic beverage preference tracked well during the follow-up. Total alcohol consumption was not significantly different between preference groups. Men with wine preference had the lowest total mortality due to lower cardiovascular mortality. With the spirits group as the reference category and age, cardiovascular risk factors, and total alcohol consumption as covariates, wine drinkers had a 34% lower total mortality (relative risk 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.45–0.98); relative risk for beer preferers was 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.68–1.14). In 2000, wine preferers had the highest scores in all RAND-36 scales; general health (p =.007) and mental health (p =.01) were also significantly different. (Cite: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 62:213-218 (2007)

http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/2/213)

And that’s not all! Another article indicated that the red in red wine kills cancer cells. Anthocyanidin, a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and brightly colored fruits and vegetables, not only kills leukemia cells, but it leaves healthy cells alone. As written in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, anthocyadins had no negative effects on healthy blood cells. (Cite: J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, Issue 18, 13468-13476, May 4, 2007). The abstract of the article is online at www.jbc.org.

Time to vote! I’m on a list of Blogs at LocalWineEvents.com. The exact page is here. Scroll down till you get to our Blog, and vote! Please! We won’t win anything, but it would be nice to have a little notice in the very big wine world. And why you’re there, take a look at some of the other blogs. There are a lot of talented people out there who are doing amazing things, and it’s worth taking the time (lots of time) to go through them.

Happy Birthday to Kristin Sande of Valley Cheese and Wine in Henderson. Her hubby, Bob, toasted her in the last email. If you haven’t visited them yet, then you are missing out on a fun, cute place. They have a lot of French, Italian, and Australian wines at very reasonable prices. But the cheese!!!!! You gotta go. Give them a call, check out their location in Google maps, and treat yourself!

I will finally get around to talking about wine clubs next week. I promise. Trust me. :-)

Rodney Strong Night at Rio Secco!

2007-04-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

I don't often talk about special events, but this one is a little different. The wine event at Rio Secco Country Club on Thursday evening, April 26, was pretty nice. In fact, I got to learn quite a bit about wines from one of my old standby producers, Rodney Strong.

It was promoted as a wine and networking event, and it lived up to the publicity. While I didn’t take the time to count how many people were there, I would guess about a 100 or so. Give or take.

Of course, my primary focus was less on the networking and more on the “wine” part of the evening! There were two pourers, Nick Litersky, DM of On Premise Wine at Southern Wine and Spirits, and Mitch Preston, Mountain States Sales Manager for Rodney Strong. There were nine wines from the Rodney Strong portfolio that were poured, and I’d like to share some of my tasting observations (such as they are) with you. Remember, I’m not an actual wine professional, and I don’t even play one on TV! With that being said, I am always on a quest for good “house wines,” that is, those wines that I can pop and pour at a moment’s notice, whether it’s for company who’s just stopping by or for myself! Just like about every other wineau, I have those wines that require great pomp and circumstance when opening, but those are the exceptions. I call those my “I paid *what* for that wine?!??” wines.

Unfortunately, the vintage years weren’t printed on the information sheet about the wines, so I’m going to presume that all of these are the current releases. I don’t remember what the years were. Sorry! But I took lots of notes.

Nick poured the whites and the Pinot Noir. They were as follows:

Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc. The only screwcap of the evening, this was meant to be drunk now. Lightly scented with melon and citrus, it offered pear, melon, grapefruit and a slight mineral quality on the palate. It’s an interesting balance between the highly fragrant SBs of New Zealand and the more austere Sancerres of France, but it can easily compete. Word to the wise …don’t serve this ice cold. Frigid temps shut down the fruit both on the nose and the palate. I revisited this later in the evening and discovered that once slightly warmed, it unleashes its bouquet and becomes a good NZ competitor!

Sonoma County Chardonnay. Immediately I detected butter, cream, lemon, and apple (as in Golden Delicious) fragrances. Lots of oak on the palate, but the taste confirms the fragrance. Nice mouthfeel, with bright fruit and toasty oak nuances. This would be a nice, everyday Chardonnay, even with the amount of oak.

Chalk Hill Chardonnay. Woo hoo! What a nice wine! And the price (I found it for $13.99 at Costco!), can’t be beat. The cream, butter, and lemon were there, but so were bright citrus, pineapple, and a hint of tropical taste. Amazing mouthfeel, with tongue-coating creamy qualities that washed fruit all the way to the back palate. With the minerality and great acidity, I was trying to figure out a great chicken or cheese dish I could pair with it!

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Surprisingly Burgundian in character (especially for a California wine), it was very light in color and had the characteristic cherry, strawberry, and roses bouquet. It also had an interesting earthiness which I would have expected from an Oregon Pinot. Wonderful acid balance, with the taste confirming the smell. At under $20.00, it’s a very nice Pinot for quaffing. And yes, I did go back for a second (or so) glass.

Over on the red wines side of the clubhouse, Mitch was pouring:

Sonoma County Merlot. I have to admit that it was the stuffed mushrooms that drove me to the Merlot in the first place. They were delicious and they screamed for a deep red wine. While I will usually pair a Pinot with mushrooms, I didn’t think that it would be the best match this time. However, the Merlot made an ideal pairing with this dish. On the nose, there were plums, blueberries, coffee, and maybe a little bit of vegetable (this is a good thing), and earth. The fruit and earth came to the forefront on the palate, especially with the mushrooms. Very nice, surprisingly full-bodied and lush. At under $20.00, it’s definitely a good candidate for a house Merlot. Even Miles would like this one.

Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. Excuse my French – what a kickass, quality wine! Wow! The nose on this was fabulous – cassis, berries, chocolate, with a hint of coffee. There was some toast on the aroma as well. Great mouthfeel, full-bodied, and the taste confirmed the fragrance. Not overly complex, but a very nice wine. Gimme a steak.

Alexander Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This one had a little sweeter nose than the Sonoma. Maybe a bit more berries or cherries? Not as much chocolate or cocoa? But it still was definitely a Cab. Luscious mouthfeel and longer finish than the Sonoma. I found that I enjoyed the Sonoma a little more, but for different reasons. As I look back, I recall a little more earthiness on the Sonoma, and a little more fruit on the Alexander Valley. I tend to like earthier wines overall a little better (Aussie Shirazes excepted), so this strictly a matter of taste.

Alexander’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon. Cassis, currant, berries, earthy, and maybe a bit of eucalyptus on the nose. With those descriptions, it still could not be called fruit forward or herbally – those characteristics are well integrated into a structured whole. I revisited this wine a couple of times to get my brain around the palate. Lush mouthfeel, firm tannins, and nicely lingering finish. More complexity than the other two Cabs, which makes this a “sit down and think” wine, rather than a quaffing wine.

Symmetry. This is Rodney Strong’s flagship wine, and at about $50.00, it’s a definite contender. Mitch said that it’s their Bordeaux blend, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc. The color was striking, as it was an inky purple. On the nose, you’re immediately hit with the ripe plums, cassis, blackberries, leather, and spices. On the tongue, it’s all of those things plus a touch of earth, integrated tannins, and cocoa. Nice long lingering finish that lasts and lasts. There is an almost sweet (as in fruity, not in sugar) quality, but that doesn’t mean that it’s fruit forward. Now, while I loved this wine (thanks Mitch, for pouring it for me several times), I’m not so ready to give up my Robert Young Scion. However, if anyone out there is generous enough buy a bottle of each so that I could suitably compare them, I’d be more than willing!

My favorites were the Chalk Hill Chard, the Merlot, the Sonoma Cab, and the Symmetry. My wine of the evening was the Symmetry. Of course. Unfortunately, I have an Opus One palate paired with a White Zin wallet. Sheesh.

If you were at Rio Secco and would like to share your observations, tasting notes, or opinions, just drop me a line!

By the way, Rio Secco did a great job of ensuring that the appetizers were replenished and that dirty dishes and napkins were cleared away. The staff was unobtrusive and very courteous.

Rant Time!

2007-04-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

After paying $75.00 for a ticket to UNLVino, I feel in retrospect that I should have been given a cigarette and a towel. While quite nice, it wasn’t $25.00 more nice than last year when the price was $50.00. Maybe I’m being picky, silly, and petty, but there were several things that occurred this year that I’d never seen before.

1. The Auction. In previous years the auction had a variety of things at potentially different price points for attendees. This year was radically different. It seemed that every item was a high-ticket, multiple-wine, golf-package-included item, and that left many of us out of the running, especially at bid prices starting at $400. The packages were well worth what they went for – and then some! – but if you don’t play golf ….!!!

2. Riedel. I love Riedel glasses. So much so that I bought a dozen of them at UNLVino last year at a great price. One of the reasons I barely flinched at the $75 entry fee was because of the anticipation of being able to get another dozen or two Riedels. Well, that did not happen. What they had was a set of Vinums, four for $95.00. Or you could buy two “O” glasses for $20.00. Because each glass in the Vinum set was different, you’d have to buy two sets in order to have something decent for two, let alone with friends. And I hate (really hate) the “O” glasses. They are, in my opinion, a high-end Scotch glass. Except without the Scotch. Single malt, of course.

3. “Nevada Wine Partners.” Never heard of them before and was shocked once I looked through the souvenir book to see many of the wineries that I’d been hoping to find, but because I associated the name with a particular winery with mediocre wines, I didn’t explore the options. My bad.

4. The Bags. Handing out the bags that were loaded with valuable information as everyone *left* made no sense at all. There was information in those bags – including the latest edition of Wine Spectator with tasting reports and scores of some of the wines at UNLVino – that would have been nice to have during the event.

OF COURSE there were good things!

1. Thomas Arvid prints. ‘Nuff said.

2. The food. Phenomenal, as always. Does anyone know what the green cheese was?

3. Chocolate Row. A long table of strictly chocolate vendors. Heaven.

4. The People. Seeing friends having a great time and seeing those who were pouring whom I hadn’t seen in months was a pleasure. It’s funny how people make up for any rants one might have.

5. The Wines, of course! So many wines. Only one of me! By the way, if you haven’t explored New Zealand Pinot Noirs, brace yourself. I see a huge Pinot wave coming in from the Land of Oz, and it will be terrific. I was only able to taste a few, and there are a few characteristics in those wines that stand out to me. First, they are more similar to the Pinots of Oregon or the Burgundies of France than they are the big California Pinots. However, they aren’t quite as earthy as the former, and carry California-style fruit without losing Burgundian character. And phenomenal with food! Buy now, ‘cause I’m sure the prices are going to skyrocket once they’re discovered!

Okay, that’s all for UNLVino. Overall opinion, nice, but not as great as previous years. And a lot smaller. I remember a couple of years ago when I had to walk from one venue to another, overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. It’s smaller now, and I haven’t quite decided if that’s good or bad.

Now for the next rant. A few weeks ago, Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Heidi Knapp Rinella wrote a column about the prices of meals at restaurants in Vegas and how the quality doesn’t always measure up to the premium prices. I read that and said “Hallelujah Sister!” There are a few restaurants that I will go to no matter what, and they always have good food and excellent prices. So I’m a repeat customer! Marché Bacchus in Desert Shores and King’s Fish House in The District come immediately to mind.

There are others, however, where one visit was enough. To say that I felt violated would be an understatement. Once again, looking at the bill made me wonder why I wasn’t given a cigarette and a towel. To read Heidi’s column, just click here. Let me know what you think of my letter to her!

Hi Heidi,

I love reading your columns and truly appreciate your insights. I’d like to give my two cents’ worth on the prices of restaurant food.

I love wine. One of the latest trends in wine has been new winery owners releasing their first vintage at “are you kidding?!?” prices, for no other reason than they happen to be located in Napa.

I see the same mentality here in Vegas. Open a restaurant and charge “celebrity chef” prices just because you’re in Vegas. I don’t think so.

What these phenomena have done is to send me in other directions. Because I refuse to be a Napa slut (although I have several very nice Napa wines in my coolers), I have branched out to other, less well known areas. That means really good – if not great – wines at affordable prices. I love Gil because of his practical column and recommendations of enjoyable, affordable wines.

For food, the ridiculous prices/mediocre quality has sent me happily into my own kitchen, where I prepare my own miraculous dishes, usually higher quality than the hoity restaurants (I’m often in learning mode with some dishes), and always at a better price. And my friends love having the opportunity to enjoy good food and drink a bottle of wine that would cost extortion prices in a restaurant, without having to worry about what hissy fit “Chef” may throw.

I realize that my little bit of money here and there in a restaurant will not change the minds of the overinflated egos that open these altars to self-worship. They are after the big wallets and, frankly, I’m not one. Unfortunately, what that means is that I have to do a lot of word-of-mouthing before I’m willing to go the extra $$$ for an enjoyable evening out. For the most part, that leaves out the greedy restaurants – no good QPR (Quality Price Ratio) there!

Don’t get me wrong. There are some places where the high prices are justifiable. For instance, having a dinner at Panevino, while somewhat pricey, is so worth it with the food, the service, and the fantastic view.

But I’m just as happy having a lunch at Marché Bacchus by the water and sharing a bottle of wine with friends. Where a lunch for four will cost about the same as a dinner for one at any of the mega-ego restaurants. And enjoying a meal with friends is what makes dining out special.

Irene King
Vini, Vidi, Velcro
I came, I saw, I stuck around

Let me know what you think of my little blog. I’ve been having a lot of fun working on it and love sharing my insights with everyone. Please share it with your wine buddies! And time for an announcement! Along with the Blog, I think that a website for Vegaswineaux is in order and have been working on it. The website will be http://www.vegaswineaux.com. It’s not up yet, and all you’ll get now is a generic page.

More next week on what will be on the website and stuff about wine club allocations.

Stay tuned …

Wine Sense does Italy

2007-04-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Okay. I can write about this now. I’m enrolled. Call me selfish. Call me arrogant. I will agree. It’s all about me.

But once you attend one of Fritz Reese’s wine classes, you will do the same!

Beginning Thursday evening, May 24, Fritz will be instructing “Wine Sense does Italy” at the West Sahara CCSN Satellite campus. I’ve attended several of Fritz’s Wine Sense courses (all at the same place) and have just accepted the fact that I’m addicted to them. The Community College website is: http://www.ccsn.edu/workforce/community/courselist/culinary.asp . They have an error in that they describe the class as “Wine Sense” which is Fritz’s basic beginner class.

Other than Chianti Classico Riserva, I’m not a big fan of Italian wines. But, like just about everything else, I know that comes from ignorance about Italian wines. I love wines from California, Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile. I love some French wines, and know that I would love even more of them if they weren’t priced at extortion levels. I enjoy the wines from Germany and Austria, too, even though they specialize primarily in cold-weather whites. And despite Fritz's very careful explanations, I still view their labels as indecipherable.

I will mention that a new (to me) grape from Sicily has caught my attention: Nero d’Avola. It’s a rich red and somewhat reminiscent of a Shiraz, but with berry tones and a touch of the Mediterranean. Open a bottle and you will discover that it REQUIRES air before it begins to evolve in the glass. And it’s great with Italian food! Imagine that!

Fritz has a passion for wines that shows in each class session, and he makes every one enjoyable. Which is why he doesn’t have *students* in class; he has *fans*! What makes it even more fun is that the students have gotten to know each other and often bring food to the class that pairs (we hope) with the wines that Fritz will pour. And since he uses a measured pourer, each glass is exactly enough to enjoy the taste (not too skimpy) but not make it a party. Well, not *quite* a party.

So, dear locals, I hope that you will be able to make it to one of Fritz’s courses in the future.

Okay, now for a few shout-outs:

Congrats to Michael (never Mike) Breyer on moving into his (brand) new home in Anthem Solera!

Look for Zach Benson (okay, so he’s my kid) on commercials/ads/newspaper inserts beginning next month. He went to a casting call for the heck of it and got chosen as an athletic model.

A pat on the back for me for *finally* making the Kosta Browne allocation list and getting my full allocation! Take THAT, Williams Selyem!! It’s an ugly story, but I’ll gleefully share it with anyone who wants to know.

Are you part of a wine club somewhere? I belong to five, all directly from wineries. I don’t do the “wine of the month” thing. I did it once for about four months and nearly every wine was dreck. Never again!

If you belong to a wine club (of any kind) please share with us which ones they are and the good and bad with each one. I will write about wine clubs next time! No, I lied. I will be talking about a day at UNLVino!

Meanwhile, if you have something worthy of a shout-out, just let me know!

Spring in Vegas! Places to go, People to see, blah blah blah

2007-03-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

If you are a member of a wine club – as in receiving shipments from a winery – you know that this is “allocation season,” and your CCs (credit cards) are probably weeping. That’s certainly the case with me. But does that stop me from buying wines anyway? Of course not!

Not only is it allocation season, but it’s Spring, and with Spring comes all kinds of good-weather activities.

One of my favorite places to go for wines is Khoury’s. They now have two locations – the original store at 9915 S. Eastern Ave., at Jeffreys just north of St. Rose Pkwy in Henderson, and the new location at 7150 S. Durango Dr, in Vegas near the 215. The Durango location has wine tastings on Wednesday nights, and the Eastern store has tastings on Thursday nights. The proprietors, Issa and Nura Khoury are the best! And they are directly responsible for my lack of control over my budget because they offer wonderful wines at great prices, making purchases nearly irresistible! Last September they hosted the HenderZIN in the Eastern Ave. store parking lot, with about 20 wineries, barbeque, raffle drawings, music, and slammin’ deals on cases of wines. I lost my mind and my budget. And it was worth it!! Of course, winning a numbered 1.5 bottle of 2003 Tobin James Dusi Vineyard Zin was the crowning touch on a great day!

Issa and Nura provide the opportunities for boutique wineries to offer the public a chance to taste their wines. I have many bottles of wine that I haven’t seen elsewhere or may not have purchased without having tasted them in advance. Their website is http://khourysfinewine.com/ along with a very nice article from Dining Today in the Review Journal http://viewnews.com/2006/VIEW-Apr-04-Tue-2006/Prime/6595333%20.html.

Another place I love to go is Marche Bacchus, located at 2620 Regatta Drive in the Desert Shores area of Vegas. Now, I don’t know if Agathe and Greg are the owners, but they should be. They know everything about wines, and have the largest selection of high-end French wines around. Like Khoury’s , their prices are incredible. What makes Marche really unique is that they have this wonderful retail area of great wines AND a restaurant to go along with it. What’s great about Marche is that the restaurant is loaded with atmosphere … they are right on the lake of Desert Shores, which at this time of year means gorgeous weather, beautiful views of the lake and the ohmygod houses on the shore. If you choose to dine outdoors (and why *wouldn’t* you this time of year?!?), the occasional duck or goose will paddle by looking for handouts.

Marche charges a $10.00 corkage fee for wines purchased in the store for dinner. What makes this especially spectacular is that their prices are already low, and the $10.00 fee is nothing compared to other restaurants. You not only have a “wine list” you can check out in person, but you have the expertise of the staff to help you decide the best choice with your meal, and at a price that is half or more compared to prices of wines in restaurants in general. By the way, Marche Bacchus garnered second place finishes in the Best French Restaurant and Wine Selection categories of the Best of Las Vegas poll done every year by the Review Journal. They won the Best Outdoor Dining category. Go and you’ll see why. Their website is http://www.marchebacchus.com.

My newest discovery (thanks, Linda!) is Jimmy’s Café at 8427 W. Lake Mead, just east of Rampart in Vegas. Linda mentioned in passing that she had lunch there a few times and said that they had a great wine list. She and I went there after my haircut and discovered a gem. I immediately ordered the salad that Linda had recommended, The Crossings Steak Salad, which has paper-thin slices of rare Tri-Tip on salad greens with Kalamata olives, caramelized Vidalia onions, tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, and drizzled with shallot-soy vinaigrette. YUMMY!!! And what a perfect match with Pinot!

I joined the wine club ($49.00), which gives me first notice of special wine dinners and events, as well as free corkage on Wednesday nights. Considering the price of corkage in most restaurants, the membership will be paid for in two visits!

I got to meet the owner, Jimmy Stanfill, who has a cherubic face and great blue eyes. He’s been open a few months and is doing well. He loves the idea of the wine retail/restaurant combination a la Marche Bacchus and Bleu Gourmet, but he’s in Summerlin which won’t allow it. Why? Who knows. It’s a very upscale idea and Jimmy’s is a great little restaurant and he’s working hard to get the powers in Summerlin to relent. Stay tuned! His website is http://www.jimmyscafelv.com.

If you haven’t been to one yet, you have to scrape the dollars together for a good cause and go the Wine Walk held throughout the Spring, Summer, and early Fall months at Lake Las Vegas. For about $50 a couple ($30 per individual), you walk through Montelago Village sampling wine from about 15+ wineries. The proceeds go directly to assist adults with disabilities, so it’s a wonderful cause. The first Wine Walk is Saturday evening, April 14. Their website is http://newvistacommunity.org. Click on the “Events” button to scroll through the calendar for exact dates of the Wine Walks, which are either the second or third Saturdays of each month.

By the way, walking through Montelago Village offers wonderful retail therapy opportunities as well.

Well, this is a good start. There are many other places to go, things to do, people to see in the wine community of Las Vegas. Stay tuned for more!

Another Wineaux Hangout!

2007-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Many of us (okay, me) spend a lot of time of Henderson even though we don’t live there. A recent evening at Settabella’s Pizza with friends had us meandering over to Valley Cheese & Wine shortly after a dinner of Salad and Neapolitan pizza.

Valley Cheese & Wine is located at 1770 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Ste. 110 near Valle Verde and is a brand new store with great stuff! (Okay, so that’s not the most eloquent description …)

Bob and Kristin have opened up a neat little store with lots of wine, mostly European. I found a wonderful Nero d’Avola (Sicily) that I’d only had at Annabella’s and fell in love with it while dining there. VC&W wines are primarily French, followed by Italian, some German, Spain, California, and Australia/New Zealand. They actually have several selections from Halter Ranch, a great little boutique winery from Paso Robles!

While their wine selection is wonderful and fairly priced, it’s their selection of gourmet foods that has me drooling. They have a world-class cheese selection that outdoes Whole Foods in quality, hands down. I am a real aficionado of raw milk cheese, and they have the biggest, best selection of raw milk cheeses I’ve ever seen. The prices are, of course, going to be much higher than your regular selection of Velveeta or Kraft singles, but these are real cheeses.

Just as you may prefer well-aged Bordeaux for the layers of complexity, you may find your palate dancing at these cheeses which offer the same pleasure. It has been my experience that raw milk cheeses, especially from grass-fed, humanely and sustainably raised cows, is second to none. And I was not disappointed at VC&W’s offerings. They also have goat and sheep’s milk cheeses that are to die for.

Along their gourmet wall is a bunch (another official descriptor) of hard-to-find food items. They have - and I kid you not - squid ink pasta! They also have genuine, well-aged balsamic vinegars, unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oils (known as EVOO to us foodies), teas, coffees, and jarred mystery items. A food-lover’s dream!

I need to warn you about the owners. Bob is a very nice, laid back young man and knows his wines. Kristin, on the other hand, will slyly seduce you into wrecking your budget as she offers small samples of the glorious cheeses. Just a word to the wise .

VC&W offers wine classes and free wine tastings. Their classes range from $20 to $50 and require advance registration and payment. The three remaining classes for the Winter schedule are as follows:

Intro to France
Thursday, March 8
$25.00 per person

Intro to Wine
Thursday, March 15
$25.00 per person

Australian Wines
Thursday, March 22
$25.00 per person

Classes start at 6:30 and are priced per evening. Seating is limited and reservations and full prepayment are required. No refunds! Their newly-published Spring schedule is also available at the store. Hint – they have classes upcoming on Best Buys Under $15, Intro to California wines, and Wine and Cheese pairings.

Their free wine tastings are Fridays, 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m.

Stop by and say “Howdy” to Bob and Kristin and tell them that Irene sent you over. I’ll probably be seeing you there!

Valley Cheese & Wine
1770 Horizon Ridge Parkway, Ste. 110
Henderson, NV 89012
(702) 341-8191

http://www.valleycheeseandwine.com

Farewell to an Old Friend!

2007-02-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

At the time Friends of the Grape (FOG) was created, it was necessary for those who were passionate about wines. Nearly 17 years ago, there was nothing even remotely wine related, including wine tastings, restaurants, clubs, or dinners in the Las Vegas area. A small group of acquaintances talked about wines and decided to pursue their love of wines by having wine dinners, with members rotating hosting duties on a monthly basis.

Until recently, this system worked fairly well. And then things began to happen. People developed other interests and left, others moved out of the area, and still others found that “real life” often interfered with their love of wine and, subsequently, their ability to attend scheduled meetings.

Two other phenomena took place during that seventeen-year time span: One was the Internet. The other was the dizzying growth of Las Vegas.

With the advent of easy access to the Internet, the world of wine opened up. With literally thousands of websites dedicated just to wine, it became very easy to be more analytical and knowledgeable about wines, to know where to go to buy these wines, and, more importantly, learn about the lure of inexpensive travel to wine country.

The mind-boggling growth of Las Vegas was another factor. Seventeen years ago, Las Vegas still possessed its “Wild West” demeanor. People knew each other, Henderson was a short ten-minute drive from the very rural area of Charleston and Buffalo, and the population, while growing, was still relatively small by metropolis standards.

Over the years, that has changed.

Nowadays, everything local is far away! If not by distance – after all, the distance between Henderson and Charleston/Buffalo hasn’t changed – then by time, culture, and interests. No longer is Henderson “a part of Vegas,” but its own entity. No longer is the drive from Vegas to Henderson a mere ten minutes; it can take up to an hour or more. The $1.99 casino buffet is a thing of the past. The easy comps and comfort food restaurants have gone the way of the dinosaur.

In their place has arisen a whole new Vegas: that of "Celebrity Chef" restaurants, mega-resorts, high-rise condominiums, and corporate, impersonal casinos. There are “real” casinos in Henderson, world-class eateries everywhere, and $10 buffets are considered a rare bargain.

In this mix of maturity and growth, the wine world has changed as well. Instead of the usual “house wine” for about $2.00 a glass, even the most modest of restaurants sport extensive wine lists. Modern wine drinkers are no longer interested in just a “glass of red/white wine,” but want to know the vintage, varietal, appellation, and score. A trip to Napa for the weekend is taken as casually as a stroll down the block, often accompanied by purchases of high-end (expensive) treasures. Wines are carefully paired with menus, classes are available at the local community college, university, and cooking schools, wine publications are available at the local book stores and supermarkets, and everyone has a wine cellar. Even if the wine cellar is a Pier 1 wine rack in the closet.

Those changes have posed a lot of challenges to a small, casual wine club. With a pretty strict schedule of one meeting per month on the fourth Saturday, it became more and more problematic to keep the membership focused because of all of the wine-related activities that abound. It has become very easy to plan an important wine event on the same night as the usual club meeting/tasting. In fact, it has become very easy to plan a wine event on nearly every night of the month. Inevitably, the attendance at tastings has dropped gradually over the last few years.

As a result of that, our interim leader/president, Nancy Hara-Isa, decided that the best thing to do for FOG was to disband it, even if just for a while. While it’s tough to see it end, the decision was a well-thought-out, logical one. Every single person sitting at the table had something else planned (wine wise, in fact!) for the next scheduled tasting. That meant that at least five people (out of a membership of about a dozen) would not be able to attend. And those people were the known factors.

However, the hosting of wine parties is still a very practical and desired fact of life. The difference is that it is no longer scheduled, no officers have to be elected, and the usual club problems and issues are gone. In other words, we can have home tastings just for fun and camaraderie. Which is not a bad thing at all.

Boxed Wines, White Zin, and Americans

2007-02-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

While everyone is waiting for an update on the tastings at my home last week, I thought I’d throw in a filler.

This began when I went on my favorite bulletin board, the Mark Squires Wine Board at erobertparker.com and asked a simple question in the Food & Wine forum:Australia, that Mecca of Shiraz, boxed wines consistently sell at the same quantities as bottled wines because people like to drink wine on a regular basis without having to hassle with bottles or go through the aggravation of trying to preserve a wine for another day’s use. Once again, the attitude is that wine is an everyday staple with meals, not a Filet Mignon meant for special occasions.

And now we get back to the U.S. Let’s face it, boxed wines have had a bad rap for years. Tasting like little more than sweetened, colored alcoholic syrup, they have been sneered at by those with palates. From what I understand, this is changing. There are “high-end” boxed wines available, they are tasty, and they are long lasting. Really. Take a look at this article which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2004. I thought this was a great explanation about the evolution of boxed wine in the

U.S.

And now to cooking.

Because the quality of boxed wines has improved so much in the last few years, those who cook fine foods for a living have taken notice. As a result, inconspicuous boxes of high-end wines have been appearing in the kitchens of restaurants and schools. The wines are inexpensive – ranging from about 5-45% cheaper than comparable bottled wines - and have a shelf life ranging from four to seven weeks. Much longer than the couple of days that a bottle would last. And, most importantly, the wines taste good and are extraordinary in the recipes! Who’da thunk!

Hmm. Well, I touched on the boxed wine and on Americans. Let’s see. White Zin. Isn’t it funny that the one country that drinks White Zin by the gallon turns its collective nose up at boxed wine?

So, fellow Wineaux, stay tuned. I will be purchasing some boxed wine to use for cooking. I will leave tasting notes because you can’t cook with wine and not taste it!