Living Napa Cabulous on The Strip
Living Napa Cabulous is about finding ways to enjoy Napa and its world-class wines no matter your location. Last weekend, I took a quick jaunt to Las Vegas with family and made it a priority to scope out the best wine bars and specialty shops. Yes, I needed something to help keep me busy and away from the roulette and blackjack tables… With its proximity to California and demands of its wine-aficionado visitors to meet, Las Vegas didn’t disappoint. Let me tell you about some of the Las Vegas wine bars and shops I found – some classic, some new – for your next visit to Sin City.
- EATDRINK at The Cosmopolitan – First off, this hotel is a scene! After wandering through its uber-modern lobby and crystal-draped
lounge, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this shop. As the name suggests, EATDRINK is devoted to highlighting the cuisine and wine served by chefs and sommeliers at The Cosmopolitan. A portion of the space is devoted to its walk-in wine cellar and tasting room, which features one of the many enotech/enomatic wine machines I saw throughout the city. Coincidentally, we arrived during happy hour and were offered as many tastes of their 10+ wines as we wanted for $20. They also sold wine by the bottle and the 100 milliliter “test tube” in addition to unique wine gifts. EATDRINK is best for a quick stop to taste if you need a break from gambling or shopping because there were only four chairs in the room. - The Wine Cellar at The Rio – Known as the best wine bar in Las Vegas, The Wine Cellar certainly lived up to its reputation. (Pictured in header image.) Accessible by a winding staircase down below the casino floor, we instantly
felt like we were walking into a Napa Valley tasting room or otherwise magnificent cellar. An impressive collection of wine lined the walls, including an 1855-1989 vertical of Chateau d’Yquem. There were several tables and leather couches to choose from, but we opted for seats at the bar. The wine educator/bartender presented us with expansive menus that profiled at least a dozen flights and even more wines by the glass and bottle. (They are willing to create custom flights, too.) We decided to share oaky-white and hearty reds flights and were really pleased with the line-up. The whites were Far Niente 2010 Chardonnay, Camelot Highlands 2009 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay (we loved this!) and a third wine I can’t remember for the life of me. We think it might have been a Beringer. Reds included Caymus 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Oak 2010 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Shafer 2009 One Point Five and a French Barons de Rothschild 2010 Pauillac. The service was wonderful and we also had a great time talking wine with a few of the fellow patrons; the atmosphere was more our style than the swanky lounges. The Wine Cellar is a great, cozy place to start your evening before heading out or to end the night. - Double Helix Wine Bar & Boutique – Smack dab in the middle of The Shoppes at the Palazzo, Double Helix provides a reprieve for those who need a break from shopping or to drink away buyer’s remorse. (The array of super high-end stores paled only slightly in comparison to those at Crystals within the City Center.) The space is defined by low walls that circle around their tables and bar, which allows for continued people-watching. Patrons can choose between five wine flights or create their own. Some of the featured producers included MollyDooker, Rombauer, Ken Wright and Argyle. The full wine list also includes many Napa favorites, among others, like Orin Swift, Duckhorn, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Belle Glos, Del Dotto and St. Supery. They do a happy hour each day from 3-6 p.m. for ½ off on select wines and beer. Just outside the space, you can pick up many of these same wines (and more) at the boutique. I also spent some
time perusing the aroma kits they sell. - d.vino Italian Food & Wine Bar at Monte Carlo – This was a buried treasure we found while tagging along with my mom and brother to the casino. Done with gambling for the trip, we parked ourselves at the bar and were thrilled to learn that ANY bottle on their list was available for half-price on Sundays. We really struggled to pick one from among their great selection, which included such gems as Lewis 2009 Cabernet, Kelly Fleming 2005 Cabernet, Caymus 2009 Special Selection, Buccella 2009 Cabernet and 2010 “Mica,” and O’Shaughnessy 2007 Howell Mountain Cab. The whites list was equally as impressive. Since the latter was sold to the buyers before us, we went with a Cornerstone Cellars 2008 Cabernet because it’s one we haven’t tried. We also decided to order one of their three-cheese plates. d.vino is another of those great options for true wine lovers who don’t need all the fuss of a bustling strip establishment. The staff
was also extremely friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. - Olives at The Bellagio – We dined at Todd English’s Olives on our first night and would certainly go back. Aside from our great meals of sea bass and roast chicken, we were really intrigued by their wine menu and selection. Upon taking a seat in the restaurant/bar, guests are provided with iPads to review the wine list. Yes, I almost dropped mine. We each had a glass at the bar before shifting to our table. Having recently been named “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator, we really couldn’t resist ordering the Shafer 2008 Relentless, especially after learning that it was still available.
- Ferraro’s Restaurant & Wine Bar – Ferraro’s is located just off the strip, across from the Hard Rock Hotel and came recommended to us by one of my fellow wine-loving Twitter friends. Our cab driver seemed impressed that we even knew about it and said, “You’re in for the best Italian meal on the continent!” It’s a quiet, yet classic Italian dinner club with many homemade specialties. (I had a delicious lobster and asparagus ravioli.) I’m also fairly certain the owners were the people to greet us when we arrived. Their wine bar houses one of the enomatic machines with a couple dozen wines by the glass at 1, 3 and 5-ounce pours. I had one of my beloved BV 2008 Tapestry’s and my husband had a Nickel & Nickel 2006 Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet.
Have you tried these or do you have any of your own favorite Las Vegas wine bars and shops?
