Vino Las Vegas begins UNLVino 2008 at Bubble-Licious at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

UNLVino 2008 is here and Vino Las Vegas will bring you to all of the events as we join in "taking a Sip for Scholarship." The first stop in this three day event is Bubble-Licious held at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This event had a duel purpose. Not only were we attending the benefit for the students at UNLV but also honoring Rossi Ralenkotter UNLV 2005 Alumnus of the year and Chef Executive officer of The Las Vegas Convention Authority. He is being honored with a Dom Perignon "21 " Cork salute for all of his work. Elaine from Vino Las Vegas stopped and said hello to our own Las Vegas resident Mr Robin Leach. What a better venue to run into him as his famous quote, " Champagne dreams and Caviar wishes " really came to mind with world class champagne and bubbles literally flowing over our heads.

The food featured lamb and a wide variety of cheese and vegetables dishes that paired great with these Champagnes and Sparking wines. Speaking of Sparking wines we
found a Sparkling Shiraz from Cape Rock that really stood out for us.

The highlight of the evening came when many people from Southern Wine and Spirits took the stage, each with a bottle of Dom Perignon. Rossi Ralenkotter joined them on the stage as they started opening 21 bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne. Some of this famous Champagne was poured into a Giant Champagne glass. The remaining Dom Perignon was shared with all of the guests as we toasted Rossi Ralenkotter for his hard work at UNLV and promoting the city of Las Vegas.

Bubble-Licious, with its combination of a great venue, food that will be remembered and of course Champagnes and Sparking wines from all over the world is a great way to start a three day build up climaxing with the
Grand Tasting at the Paris Hotel. But we still have Auss-some and Then Some To Go !

Cheers !to Shaina Johnston and the entire events staff at Southern Wine
and Spirits for a great start.

Join Elaine and Scott of Vino Las Vegas as we take you into Bubble-Licious and start UNLVino 2008 with interviews and much more.

Vintner Grill , wine , artisan cheese and Lamborghini's benefit the Childrens Heart Foundation of Nevada.

To be apart of a community we feel you should give back because it makes Las Vegas a better city for all of us to live in.

Vino Las Vegas was honored to attend a benefit for the Children's Heart Foundation of Nevada, held at one of our favorite places to dine Vintner Grill in Summerlin.

In Nevada alone, more than 350 children are born each year with heart disease requiring surgery or medications. These problems are surprisingly common in children. This wonderful foundation was founded in 2001 through the effort of local pediatric cardiologists and
the families of children with heart conditions.

The Children's Heart Foundation provides many programs to help these very special children and their families. Camp Mend-a-Heart provides a place where these children can make friendships and meet other children with many of the same issues as themselves. The Outreach program lends support to the families of the children as they deal with all of the issues that come with a child with a heart related problems.

The Foundation also provides education to heath care professionals and the public on pediatric
cardiology issues. Most importantly the foundation supports research into many of the pediatric cardiology issues that are battled with on a daily basis.

Many great organizations came together at Vintner Grill to support the Foundation. As we arrived we could not help but notice the beautiful Lamborghini's in front of the restaurant.
These were provided by Lamborghini of Las Vegas. Once inside we enjoyed some great wines provided by Southern Wine and Spirits and Wisconsin
Cheese that can only be found at Vintner Grill.

We spoke with Executive Chef Matthew
Silverman about his support of the foundation, his beautiful restaurant and the wonderful menu he has created that is always changing.

It is not often we can meet a Master Cheese maker here in Las Vegas. We had a chance to speak with Wisconsin Master Cheese Maker Sid Cook, President of Carr Valley Cheese and sample some of his cheese. Sommelier and Beverage Director Troy Kumalaa had his Sommelier staff pouring some great wines as well.

You never have to twist our arms to go to
Vintner Grill. There are only a few fine
dinning venues open for lunch and this is
one of them. Chef Matthew Silverman has
created a menu unlike any we have found
in Las Vegas. The menu definitely has a
Mediterranean influence but not from one

country but a combination from the
entire area with a new world American touch. The menu changes
every day and with the season. The
server even presents you the menu
on a small clip board !

Sommelier Troy Kumalaa has assembled a
very knowledgeable beverage staff and has
a wine list that has great wines for almost
any price range and taste.

Join Elaine and Scott of Vino Las Vegas LLC as we speak to Executive Chef Matthew Silverman and take you along with us as we enjoy great cheese and wine to benefit a wonderful organization.

Michael and Joel Corrigan owners of Michael Corrigan restaurants along with Executive Chef Matthew Silverman really put together a nice afternoon complete with wine, artisan cheese and of course Lamborghinis to benefit this worthwhile organization. To find out more about The Children's Heart Foundation of Nevada or to donate contact them at http://www.chfn.org/ or call them at 702-967-3522

BUD BREAK 2008 ! and Bottling the 2007 Vintage with Winemaker Dan Tudor

Spring is here and Bud Break 2008 has begun !
This is a busy time of year. In Las Vegas many Food and
Wine events are being held over the next 2-3 months.


Further to the west in Santa Barbara, San Luis Opispo and Napa Valley many festivals are planned as well.


Vino Las Vegas plans to cover as many of these events
as possible from the Renown Chefs in Las Vegas to



the smallest of wineries in California. We will also bring you along with us as we join in Celebrating the Santa Barbara
County Vintners Festival in just a few weeks.

Budbreak came a little early this year. Normally, we don't see it until the first or second week of April. This early bud break can be a little scary for the vineyards as they get a few limited frosts in the second half of April, and are even at risk of a freeze.

We saw bud break begin over just a few days in Paso Robles and Edna Valley. It is also a time for bottling. Many of the Vineyards use the time right before bud break to start to bottle the previous harvest . We joined Winemaker Dan Tudor has he began bottling a few of his Radog wines and enjoyed watching the cycle begin once more with bud break 2008 .

Culinary and Wine History made once again in Las Vegas

Many of the experts all over the world have known that Las Vegas over the last 6 years has become world renown for its Food, Wine and Enternatinment. This past week another bit of Food and Wine History was made here in Las Vegas. With the induction of Joseph Phillips of Sensi into the Court of Master Sommeliers, The Bellagio Resort has more master sommeliers than any other property in the world. The others are Robert Smith of Picasso, Jason Smith of Michael Mina Bellagio and Robert Bigelow Director of Wine.

Las Vegas has taken it place as one of the primer Food and Wine destinations in the world !

Winemaker Rick Potruch of Opolo Wines Visits Vino 100 and speaks with Scott of Vino Las Vegas

One of the best places to buy wine in Las Vegas is Vino 100 in the NW section of town. Owners Natalie and Theresa do a great job providing their customers with wines from all over the world, some of which can only be found in their shop. They have may events going on all the time. We stopped by and met Winemaker Rick Potruch of Opolo Vineyards in Paso Robles. The vineyard is located on 70 acres west of Paso Robles. All of Opolo's wines are estate grown, produced and bottled, and production is normally less than 500 cases per varietal. Join Rick, Natalie , and Scott as they talk about Opolo's wines.

Vino Las Vegas stops at Robert Hall Vineyards and speaks with Robert Hall and Winemaker Don Brady

We have visited Robert Hall winery on a few previous trips to Paso Robles. On this visit we had the opportunity to speak with Robert Hall and Winemaker Don Brady about their wines and their passion for this landmark winery. Robert Hall established the winery in 2002 with its grand opening. This was a 40 year journey for Robert and his wife Margaret. After a visit to the Rhone valley in the 1970's Robert was fascinated by the Food and Wine lifestyle of the Rhone. In the 1980's Robert used his years of business expertise and began to develop his idea of a premium-producing vineyard and began to look for the right area to produce premium Rhone style grapes. In the 1990s Robert and Margaret found Paso Robles to be the appropriate area where the soil, warm days and cool nights were ideal for his Rhone style wines.




In 2001 award winning Winemaker Don Brady joined Robert at the winery. Don had earned world wide recognition in 2001 when he became the recipient of the International Wine and Spirits "Wine of Amercia" award. As Winemaker for Robert Hall , Don was awarded the Winemaker of the Year award in 2006 by the Paso Robles County Alliance in partnership with the Independent Grape Growers of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo Vintners Association.







Today the Winery and Hospitality Center is situated on 21.8 acres surrounded by Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a reflecting pool and a floral garden the includes 15 varieties of roses. The Hospitality center has a wine library and dinning room . The Hospitality Center's 10,000 square feet is one on the largest venues on the Central Coast for special events.


The 19,000 square foot tasting room gives its visitors a 90 degree view of the nearby wine country through its 13 foot high windows. There are also tours to the underground wine caverns as well. This is such an amazing place where you can enjoy music in the 300 seat Amphitheatre, play Bocce Ball or have a picnic in this incredible facility that Robert Hall has created.

On our visit Robert took us through a vertical tasting of the Robert Hall Zinfandel 2002-2005 vintages. The 2004 Zinfandel Sauret Vineyard really stood out for us. It was full bodied with aromas of raspberry and cranberry with a hint of spice with mild tannins on the finish. The 2002 Zinfandel Sauret Vineyard is ageing nicely and was a real treat with its black pepper, wild berrys with chocolate and mild tannins on the finish. It was a terrific experience to do a vertical tasting with Robert as he explained each one.


The Robert Hall Vineyard is a collection of four estate vineyards that show off the best the Paso Robles Appellation has to offer. The Home Vineyard , located just east of the property and is about 140 acres of the largest and most mature planting. This is the core vineyard and serves as the foundation. The Terrace Vineyard is located above the Estrella River. Its 65 acres provides the vineyard with diverse planting with such varietals as Roussanne, Cinsaut , and Mourvedere. The Bench Vineyard wraps around the Winery and Hospitality Center. This 12 acre planting produces intense and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Lastly, is the Brady Vineyard. This vineyard is located just east of the Terrace Vineyard and its 18 acres is planted with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Robert Hall and Don Brady have made a tradition of making award winning wines from four very unique and diverse vineyards and show no signs of letting up. After visiting this beautiful facility and talking with Robert and Don we know there will be many more award winning wines from this great team at Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles.

Falcon Nest Winery , a great stop for Food and Wine

We were on the back roads of Paso Robles and were looking for some good food and wine. We saw Falcon Nest Winery and stopped in. Little did we know we would be greeted by Francesco Grande a chef for over 4o years and his wife Carol. As we sampled Merlot, Cabernet Sauvingon, Syrah and Zinfandel from their 2003 Vintage, Francesco prepared a fresh antipasto lunch. He explained his family has been involved in making wine for centuries In Italy. For him food and wine has always been a way of life. Falcon Nest offers a variety of handmade sauces and other Italian dishes. The Vineyard has montly theme dinners and even dances. This is a true gem tucked away along the backroads of Paso Robles. Once insde when you smell the food and taste the wine you may even think you are in Tuscany. For for information about Falcon Nest Winery go to their website http://www.falconnestwine.com/

Vino Las Vegas Visits Stillwaters Vineyards in Paso Robles

We were on our way back to Paso Robles when we ran across Stillwaters Vineyards. This is a beautiful vineyard that even has 100 year old olive trees from which Stillwaters produces their own olive oil that is available for sale along with their wines.
We spoke to Assistant Winemaker Kasey Justus as we sampled their wines. She said that eighty percent of the two hundred tons of fruit produced is sold to exclusive wineries throughout the state. The Vineyard started as a dream of Paul and Patty Hoover to own a small one-acre vineyard and has now grown to 60 acres that produces 10 varieties of grapes.

Some of their wines such as the Zinfandel 2006 Ranchita Canyon and the Estate Pinot Gris 2006 have only a 125 case production. Stillwaters Vineyards is a lovely stop the next time you are in Paso Robles.

Vino Las Vegas makes a stop at Anglim Winery

As we travel around the country we are always on the look out for small production high quality wines. We found one in Anglim Wines whose tasting room is located in Paso Robles. Winemaker Steve Anglim knows that making great wines begins in the vineyard and seeks out the highest quality fruit sources all across Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County. While at the World of Pinot Noir we met Steffanie Anglim. Anglim Pinot Noirs were well received and fit right in with the best. We knew we were going to be in Paso Robles so we had to call Steffanie so we could learn more about Anglim and their wines. Scott from Vino Las Vegas met Steffanie at the tasting room and spoke with her about their wine making philosophy, their wines and future plans.

It was a pleasure spending time talking with Steffanie and sampling the Anglim wines. When we are in Paso Robles again this will be a stop we will not miss. For more information about Anglim wines go to http://www.anglimwinery.com/

Vino Las Vegas LLC attends the Wine Walk to benefit the New Vista Community Center

We attend many wine and food events throughout

the year. Here at Vino Las Vegas LLC we feel very fortunate to be able to travel and meet wonderful people. There are many people more challenged than ourselves that need our help.

We jumped at the chance to attend the Wine Walk to benefit The New Vista Community Center . This great organization was founded in 1984 by parents of disabled individuals. The main focus of The New Vista Community Center is to support the independence of the disabled community with a wide variety of programs. For more information on their programs or to donate to the organization you can go to http://www.newvistacommunity.org/

The Wine Walk was at the Venetian Resort and had a silent auction, great food, music and a VIP section that featured wines from around the world and even gaming for a good cause. Scott from Vino Las Vegas LLC caught up with New Vista's Director of Development Michelle Jackson and spoke with her about the Wine Walk and what the New Vista Center is all about. Elaine from Vino Las Vegas takes you into the event as she sampled the Food , Wine and music . New Vista Community Center has many events throughout the year. What a better way to give back to the community and have some great food and wine at the same time.

Vino Las Vegas Visits the World of Pinot Noir

For any Pinot Noir lover March

can only mean one thing, The World of Pinot Noir held in Shell Beach, California.

This year was the eighth annual event that brings together all the big names in Pinot Noir. Many of them were pioneers who first brought Pinot Noir to the Central Coast. In addition to the pioneers there were young faces this year as well. The wonderful thing about this event is they all come together to share their love and passion for Pinot Noir not only with each other but with the entire world. This year 196 wineries covering eight different countries participated in this two day event that has become the largest celebration of Pinot Noir in the world.

We attended this event last year and thought it could not get any better. The 2008 version of this event was better than the year before with more wineries and more events. The venue at the Cliffs Resort cannot be beat as we enjoy Pinot Noirs from all over the World over looking the Pacific Ocean. This event is not just about wine but food and education as well.

Day one included Seminars and a Stemware Focus and Food pairing with Georg Riedel. After the Seminars you could attend the Focus Tasting at the Cliffs Resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean where guests enjoyed Pinot Noir from 92 wineries, a silent auction and cheese from the Cheese Shop in Carmel. The day was not compete until you attended the Gala Dinner and Reception created by renown Chef Bradley Ogden.

The second day the events kept coming. Someone we know well from Las Vegas is Master Sommelier William Sherer , the wine director at the award winning Aureole at Mandalay Bay ,who presided over the Iron Sommelier Challenge Seminar. The wines of Domaine Jacques Frederic Mugnier were featured at another Seminar that included lunch. The crowd started to arrive and waited anxiously in line to attend the main event. This is the Pinot Noir by the Sea tasting that featured 107 wineries a silent auction and cheese from the Cheese Shop in Carmel. As the day was coming to a close we enjoyed watching the Sunset over the ocean while enjoying great Pinot Noirs and this one of a kind venue. The evening ended with a Santa Barabara-style Paulee Dinner hosted by Au Bon Climat Winery.

This event was not about individual vineyards and winemakers. It is about the entire area and it's world class Pinot Noirs. These great winemakers have come together and created a very special event that shows off the Central Coast Pinot Noirs to fellow winemakers else where in the United States and the World.

We raise our Pinot glasses to the World of Pinot Noir Board of Directors, Event Coordinator Felicia Montemayor and Board Member Barbara Smith for another great event. Cheers ! we will see you next year at World of Pinot Noir 2009. This event sells out fast. For updates go to www.worldofpinotnoir.com/