Chris Hammond and Sonny Barton of Rock N Roll wines have done a fantastic job over the years with their "one of a kind " touch of music and good wines.
We have attended all three Amplified events in Las Vegas as well as many of their smaller events at some of the best venues around town.
It was a beautiful evening at the Mandalay Bay beach along side their 1.6 million gallon wave pool and once again the bands were top notch. Special guest SHERWOOD warmed up the crowd and the renown GIN BLOSSOMS electrified all of us with their hits.
The guests could wonder along the beach , stop at the many cabanas and enjoy wines from all over the world. A few wine makers made the trip to the beach as well. We stopped in and spoke with wine maker Dan Tudor of Tudor/Radog wines and Richard Oh wine maker of Otter Cove/ Oh wines as we enjoyed the great music and of course those great wines.
In our opinion this was one of the best Chris and Sonny have produced . But, we say that every year as each one is better and different than the previous. That's why all of us keep coming back to see what Chris and Sonny of Rock n Roll wines has in store for us next.
Join VINO LAS VEGAS as we take you into the 3rd Annual Rock n Roll wine Amplified and speak with a few of the guests
Many of us wish we had the time to travel to Australia , Chile , Spain , South Africa and California to sample their great wines and meet the men and women who make them
When wine distributor and importer 4Winesplusmore made a stop at Marche Bacchus in Las Vegas with their " Winemakers from Around the World" VINO LAS VEGAS had to attend.
This was a great chance to sample many wines from all over the world. They told me there were over 50 but we think it was much more than that.
The lakeside venue of Marche Bacchus provided a relaxing atmosphere to walk through this great event
One of our first stops was to meet Danelle van Rensburg winemaker for Van-Lovern-Robertson in South Africa. As we were sipping on some wonderful Cape Rock Sparkling Shiraz when we found out that Danelle had be voted one of the top 6 women winemakers in South Africa. She was pouring many of her wonderful Cape Rock wines as well has the Wolverine Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and Shriaz.
We continued down our wine path and stopped at Sandalford Wines which are from the Margaret River in Western Australia. Grant Brinklow CEO of Sandalford had quite a crowd around him as he was pouring these highly rated wines. The Sandalford Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon and of course the very limited production Prendiville Cabernet Sauvignon were stand outs for us.
We moved out of Australia on to Chile where we stopped at Santa Monica wines from the Rapel Valley. Ian Hutcheon from the winery was there pouring his Blue Fin and the very nice Santa Monica wines which have age on them. One that really stood out for us was the Santa Monica Gran Resrva Cabernet Sauvignon 2000.
We made a quick trip back to South Africa where we enjoyed wines from Clos Malverne from Stellenbosch and of course those great wines from Lanzerac as well.
The Spanish section was a real treat when we had the opportunity to try D.O Rioja Alabanza and Entrecepas wines. But those Spanish wines just kept coming with D.O Ribera Del Duero Gondomar and Mirat wines as well.
One last stop in Spain was the lovely D.O Somantano Di Superi and the Absum which we had in the past.
It was now time to sample those wines from the USA and we had some good ones to choose from. John Monich from Silkwood wines our first US stop where we sampled his very nice Silkwood Syrah , Petite Syrah and his Duet which is a blend of Cabernet and Syrah. Silkwood wines have been very highly rated and those fuzzy labels make it a stand out.
Stama wines from winemaker Gus Kapiniaris was also represented by their Stama Merlot , Stama Cabernet Sauvignon and their very fun Zany Zin
Our last stop was to visit Dalia Ceja and those great Ceja wines from Napa valley. We were at her table for a while as she insisted she take us through the entire line. She did not have to twist our arms and we were glad to comply. These wines are all highly rated and in a word "awesome". We finished this lovely afternoon with the limited production Ceja Dolce Beso a late harvest desert wine which is a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Dalia explained there only 300 cases of this great desert wine and it to is highly rated as well.
This was a fantastic event and for VINO LAS VEGAS the day was not over as we had a chance to unwind and have dinner with this great group of people from all over the world. Elaine from VINO LAS VEGAS sat down with each one and spoke to them about their wines .
VINO LAS VEGAS LLC is proud to announce that we have upgraded to High Definition ( HD ) video. There is a very big difference in sound , lighting and picture
quality. We have had requests from other broadcast media like television to move to High Definition to make it easier for them to use in their format. Our readers and supporters of VINO LAS VEGAS LLC deserve the best that we can provide and we have always tried to accommodate as much as possible. We hope you enjoy the Upgraded lights, sound , and video of VINO LAS VEGAS as we take you with us inside some great events and trips. There is much more to come and this is just the beginning .
One of the highlights of attending Showcase 2008 was attending the private wine tasting organized by Regency Wines and Sopexa.
The Right Bank wines from Saint Emilion , Fronsac and Pomerol were all featured as well as many of the winemakers themselves. Charlie Palmer's Stirling Club at Turnberry Place provided the class and sophistication that this event required.
When we arrived that the event we could not help but be impressed by the large marble staircase and a Grand Piano at the entrance to the club. We walked into the ballroom and our eyes were intimidately drawn to the wines lined up at a table in front of us.
As we walked over to the table we started to read the labels. Chataeu Cotes De Puyblanquet , Chateau Franc Grace-Dieu, Chateau La Valade Canon Fronsac , Chateau Lagrange , Chateau La Gravette De Certan Pomerol 04 which happens to be the 2nd label of Vieux Chateau Certan.
We continued to walk down the line of these great wines of Bordeaux and noticed Chateau Moulin de Lavaud and Clos des Menuts Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.
The name Bordeaux derives from au bord de l' eau meaning " along the waters" The food , wine and venue provided all that were invited a very special evening with some very special wines.
Join Elaine from VINO LAS VEGAS as she takes you inside this private visit to the Right Bank of Bordeaux
We have met Master Sommelier William Sherer on many occasions. When we found out he was going to be speaking at The Regency Wines Showcase 2008 we had to stop by.
It is always an educational experience to listen to William as he speaks about Food and Wine. William is currently Wine Director at Charlie Palmer's Aureole located at the Mandalay Bay.
William graduated in 1998 from the Court of Master Sommelier after being a wine lover from a young age.
On this occasion he gave a great talk about balancing boutique diversity with brand name consistency.
Join us here at VINO LAS VEGAS as we watch highlights from this very informative talk.
Vino Las Vegas has written about many aspects of the Food , Wine and Travel Industry in the past. We have taken our readers to harvest , crush and punchdowns in the wineries and vineyards of California. We have taken you with us as we attended many wine and food events throughout the country as well.
One very important and often over looked aspect of wine is the Distributor. We have seen how wine is made and we have all enjoyed many of those wines in restaurants and wine shoppes all over the world.
Obviously the wine had to get from the winery to the final location and that is where the distributor comes into focus. These companies are responsible for " placing " wines into the restaurants and wine shoppes.
One of the distributors in Las Vegas is Regency Wines headed by Bruno Laclotte. He has spent most of his life in France and has worked at some of the reputable wineries in Bordeaux and Champagne. Bruno founded Regency wines in 1995.
For this event Regency Wines paired up with Praml International that provided a large selection of gourmet foods for the event
This event was for the "Trade" meaning people who are in the Food and Wine industry. This was a great way for Regency Wines to show off their portfolio to the wine buyers and for Praml International to show off for the Chefs.
This was a two day event like we have never seen in the trade. Bruno stated to VINO LAS VEGAS to his knowledge an event of this type and size has never been done in the past. We were surprised at the scope of this two day event. There were guest speakers throughout both days. Master Sommelier William Sherer of Aureole and Jeff Eichelberger Sommelier of RM Seafood both gave very informative talks about wine and sustainability.
We had flashbacks of walking the streets of Paris as we moved down row after row of fresh gourmet food of all types highlighted by wines from all over the world.
On the evening of the first day we were not done yet when we were invited to attend a private wine tasting organized by Regency Wines and Sopexa. We had the opportunity to taste Right Bank wines from Saint Emilion , Fronsac and Pomerol with many of the winemakers present. This event was held at the Palatial Trunberry Place at Charlie Palmer's Stirling Club.
When this two day event was over we felt like we had just spent the weekend in France. And in away we did ! We raise our glass of Champagne and say Cheers to a job well done to Regency , Praml and their entire staffs. We only have one question , will there be a Showcase 2009 ? Keep checking back .
Join us as we take you with us and walk the streets of Paris for two days without ever leaving Las Vegas. This is a great chance to see an inside look at the Food and Wine Industry.
$40 per person pre-sale $50 at the door The event includes tastings of over 50 wines, Hors D'oeuvres and
discounted pricing on wine ordered that night!
For the reservations hotline call ***-***-**** For questions call 310-375-4317 or email kl@4winesplusmore.com ! Book ASAP as there is limited availability!!
Taste the Prendiville cab rated 96 pts!
Meet personally: Van Loveren-Robertson, South Africa Danelle van Rensburg- Winemaker and voted as one of the top 6 woman winemakers of South Africa!
Santa Monica- Rapel Valley, Chile
Ian Hutcheon of Santa Monica Sandalford- Margaret River, Western Australia Grant Brinklow- CEO of Sandalford Estate
Ceja Estate- Napa, CA
Dalia Ceja
Silkwood- Modesto, CA
John Monich- Winemaker
Taste the Pinotage Reserve, the best South Africa produces!
Taste the Pinot Noir poured by the glass at the French Laundry in Napa!
Taste the Syrah rated 98 pts!
Taste the exceptional Zany Zin old vine Zinfandel from Lodi!
Las Vegas has many fine dining restaurants that are known world wide. If we have to say something we dont like about dining in Las Vegas is that many of these great restaurants on the strip are not open for lunch. On many occasions we have been hungry and really no place available to eat except fast food or a casino food court.
The great thing about Restaurant Week is you are not only helping people who are not as fortunate but finding new places to dine.
We have heard about Todd English's Olives located in the Bellagio many times over the years. But with so many great places to dine it takes time to get around to them all.
This is great fine dinning restaurant and it is even open for lunch. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch on the patio over looking the famous Bellagio Fountains. We will be back for dinner and enjoy the same view of the fountains and the "strip" under the neon for dinner.
Join Elaine from VINO LAS VEGAS as she shows you the view and a few other surprises that pop up during lunch
Its been a while since we wrote about a wine that has really stood out for us. As many of you know we are not Food and Wine critics and are proud to say that. VINO LAS VEGAS is about Food , Wine and Travel appreciation. Many in the industry respect us for that.
We recently stopped in at T-Bones located in the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Summerlin. This is a beautiful restaurant with its large bar, fire pits , and even patio dinning provides a great background for a fine dining experience and we will be back again. The food was what we expected and one of the best we have had off the strip in a while. We looked at their very large wine list and found the Clos 1 Eglise Cotes de Castillon Bordeaux 2001 which we had to try.
The minute the bottle was opened and placed in the decanter you could smell the nose on this wine. As it opened up over the next 90 mins it only got better and paired well with seafood as well as steak.
The Vineyard was purchased by Gerard Perse (of Chateau Pavie) and Dr. Alain Raynaud (of Quinault l’Enclos)It is a typical Bordeaux blend from 70% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is crop-thinned as well as de-leafed, and, as one might expect, the wine making and upbringing are impeccable. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a sumptuous perfume of black fruits intermixed with hints of lead pencil shavings, new oak, and earth.
A little more research reviled it was aged in 100% new french oak for 18 months. The size of the vineyard is about 16 hectares and the vines average 33 years. We are always on the look out for a needle in a haystack in a wine list of this size. We found a very special treat with the Clos l Eglise Cotes de Castillon Bordeaux 2001
Chris Hammond and Sonny Barton of Rock N Roll wines have done a fantastic job over the years with
