Into the Sunset - 'Bye to Blogger

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:

1. 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.
2. It’s easier to find and read past postings.
3. Clean, user-friendly layout.
4. Links to postings, pages, and more.
5. 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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!