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. Read more

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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.

Read more

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Oh Say it isn’t So!!! Marché Bacchus Newsflash. CSE Lite info

Before you cry, wail, grieve, throw yourself into sackcloth and ashes or under a train, you

Gregoire and Agathe Verge are the founders of Marché Bacchus, the wonderful French Bistro/wine store located in the community of Desert Shores in NW Las Vegas. MB’s patio is located along the edge of Desert Shores which ma

So she and Greg decided to sell their much-loved business to sit back and reassess their

The new owners are Jeff and Rhonda Wyatt and Christophe and Noanie Ithurritze. Because of the “busyness” of the day I didn’t get a chance to talk with them at length, but I can tell you that Christophe is formerly of Spago’s here in Vegas, where he worked for Wolfgang

Christophe has an infectious smile (that’s him on the left), and it looks like the two of them

The last CSE (Combatting Swirl Envy) Lite! class of the year will be held on Wednesday, October 24, at Valley Cheese and Wine in Henderson (of course!). This class is going to

PS: I’m working on a review of the awesome wine dinner we had at Sonoma Cellar at Sunset Station last Tuesday. Stay tuned …

 

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New Wine Shop and Girls’ Night Out!

We have another wine shop way out in the boonies of the North, and I had the opportunity to visit it last weekend.Vino 100, located at 7220 West Azure in Las Vegas, 89130, is a terrific little shop which everything that I need. The Vino 100 name comes from the wall of wines priced $25.00 or lower. Yes, they have high-end wines as well. They also sell a variety of wine-related foods, have a few spirits, and a humidor.

They also have glasses, corkscrews, candles, dishes, decanters, etc., etc., whew. Like I said, I could live there!Natalie and Teresa are the co-owners of the shop, and all you have to do is show up. Natalie – who could easily be described as bubbly – waxes enthusiastic about the store. And, I have to admit, they have some great ideas that are out of the norm.

For example, instead of having a list of Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Robert Parker, etc., ratings, they have a “barometer,” which displays the individual wine characteristics instead of one person’s opinion. So instead of depending on the usual descriptors (big, jammy, fawns dancing through meadows, nuances of toast, etc.), the barometer will tell you where on the scale it is from dry to sweet and from light to full-bodied. Very interesting concept, and one that takes out the subjectiveness of only one person’s judgment.

Anyway, I got the complete tour of the store (yes, and spent money. It was inevitable) and enjoyed the V-Twin Winery of Sonoma’s wines. Because it was Bike Fest weekend, they were in town to present their wines. Vino 100 has daily tastings by the way.

Located near North Tenaya via the Ann Road exit of the 95, it’s an easy trip to the Tenaya Village Center. Don’t bother to Google it – Google is screwy. Use Mapquest instead.

 

 

Girls’ Night Out!!

First Wednesday wine tasting at Jimmy’s was wonderful as two of my friends and I made it a girls’ night out. Sharon and Mary joined me as we enjoyed six different cheeses and four wines. The cheeses were Henri Hutin Couronne, a double-cream Brie from France; Corazon de Ronda, a smooth sheep’s milk cheese from Spain; Humboldt Fog Cypress Grove, an incredible goat’s milk cheese from California; Tillamook Cheddar; King Island Dairy “Roaring Forties” an Australian Blue Cheese; and Parmigiano-Reggiano. All were yummy, all were as different as cheeses could be, and the individual cheeses matched well with the wines …with some experimentation, of course!

 

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