The Grape Nut
The Grape Nut
Picking picnic vino
July 14th, 2011
Soaring temperatures recently drove me to head for the hills—literally. What better time for a picnic? But picnics require picnic wines, which are ideally somewhat light, refreshing and go with just about anything you might throw in your basket or backpack. Read more »
The Grape Nut
85,000 Bottles of Wine on the Wall
Bellagio’s wine program by the numbers
June 30th, 2011
Jason Smith is just the exacting, precise sort of fellow one might expect a master sommelier to be. After earning his diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Culinary Institute of America graduate arrived in Las Vegas in 2006 to work at Bellagio. Read more »
The Grape Nut
Oeno-location
June 9th, 2011
If you ask Rion Austin for his “20”—meaning, of course, his location—he will proudly tell you that his NorCal-based “premium wine-on-demand” company The20 (The20Wines.com) is now fully operational in Las Vegas. Restaurants can sign up to serve boutique, small-production West Coast wines from The20’s 9-liter cask system, which functions much like a wine-on-tap setup but uses gravity (as with a bag-in-box) rather than inert gasses to move the wine from the eco-friendly bota (“wineskin”) to the glass. Read more »
The Grape Nut
Ain’t It Grand?
May 26th, 2011
U2 sang that some days are better than others. The same can be said for Champagne vintages—some years are just better than others. What they did not explain is that sometimes you have to go out of order. Hence, while Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2003 is currently present at celebrations worldwide, the highly anticipated 2002 vintage is only now poised to launch in late June, replacing the 2003 on fine dining menus and on retail shelves. Read more »
The Grape Nut
A Match Made in Washington
April 14th, 2011
Morels in the Palazzo recently welcomed Bergevin Lane Vineyards co-owner Amber Lane, who, along with Annette Bergevin and winemaker Steffan Jorgensen, is putting out some very sound Washington state wines. Read more »
The Grape Nut
Read Between the Wines
March 17th, 2011
Due Forni owner Alex Taylor has imbued his new Summerlin-area pizzeria’s wine offerings with as much love and passion as he put into the menu, music and even the lighting. Read more »
The Grape Nut
Porno for Winos
March 3rd, 2011
If the movies Big Night, Chocolat and Eat Pray Love are pornography to foodies (who can forget Julia Roberts with that plate of spaghetti?), then Sideways, Bottle Shock and Mondovino are porno for winos. Read more »
The Grape Nut
M is for My Valentine
February 3rd, 2011
Let the ultimate expression of winemaker Michael Mondavi's passion guide your own expression of love this Valentine's Day. Wine, dine and take your luvah to new heights with M by Michael Mondavi, a 100 percent cabernet sauvignon from atop Atlas Peak in Foss Valley, Napa, Calif. Read more »
The Grape Nut
Spanish Sparklers
Celebrate the everyday with affordable cava
January 13th, 2011
Spain’s iconic sparkling wine, cava, offers tremendous value as an alternative to pricier French Champagne, American sparking wines or Italian prosecco, making it perfect for celebrating even those everyday achievements: Finally tackled that “everything” drawer in the kitchen? Made it through the week? Made it through the day? It’s cava time. Read more »
The Grape Nut
All Points Bulletin
One good year deserves another
December 23rd, 2010
To soothe any frayed edges as we inch ever closer to the precipice of a brand-new year, Joseph Guida of Parc Ave Distributors offers up this salve: a silky, sumptuous Colheita port from a marquee vintage … and for just $22 per glass. Read more »
