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!

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!

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!

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

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!