This month, we would like to expose some interesting wine bars/restaurants, etc. for those of you out there that may be planning any kind of getaway that will of course, include wine.

 

1st up is the Aureole restaurant within Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Chef Charlie Palmer is the creator of this restaurant, and the main attraction would be the 42’ wine cellar in the main room. It is home to almost 10,00 bottles of wine, and when you make an order one of their staff will delicately float up to the bottles hiding spot via cable system. They are called: “wine angels”.  Patrons are able to peruse the wine list using table pc’s.

 

The average 3 course menu is between $50 and $75, and you can spend as much as you want on the wine. Incredible selections, too many to list. Located within the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

 Aureole’s functional 42’ wine cellar, 55ºF / 70 % humidity.

             Hacienda del Sol, translates into: House of the sun. It is a very unique hideaway located in Tucson, Arizona that offers guest rooms, gourmet dining, and a completely ridiculous wine list!

 

Every category and region of wine in the world is covered and offered here from their extensive wine list. From Opus one to Veuve Clicquot, to Whitcraft, Pinot Noir, they are all available here.

 

Hacienda Del Sol has been around since 1929. There have been several reorganizations until it reached its current state, and now is recognized as one of the best guest spots in the world, with a wine list to match.

 

Visit: haciendadelsol.com

                 Napa Rose restaurant is located in the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland. It is one of the last places I expected to find such a quality wine restaurant, but I hope I can return one day soon.

 

Michael Jordan is the name of the Master Sommelier in charge, and the wine list is exhausting. I spent 20 minutes just deciding between several of my favorites, and wine that I have always wanted to try. We eventually decided on one of the wonderful creations by Sea Smoke, and it was beautiful. The food was excellent, the service great, and when dinner was over, the evening had created one of my best memories.

 

 If you are a guest of the hotel you are able to charge your dinner to your room. There is a very comfy lounge/waiting area where we indulged in a cheese platter and Pinot before our meal.

 

The website address is quite long and complicated, best to just Google Napa Rose Restaurant.

             Back in Nov. of 2006, I took a little exploratory trip to the Northwest. I met up with a good friend who had a son in college at Gonzaga Univ. Up to that point, I had seen some beautiful scenery, and visited an excellent winery in Spokane, but I felt like a fish out of water.

 

Until, my friend and his son took me to Raw in downtown Spokane. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked in! It was like I was home! Local people were all over the place and there was a great atmosphere in there. There is a large population of Hawaii people tat attend Gonzaga, and the local attitude seems to be contagious in Spokane.

 

Raw had the best sushi I have ever tasted. I was amazed at the fact that I was not in Hawaii and that the sushi was so good. So many different menu items with flavor and flair.

 

The drink list was insane too! Micor-brews and great wines from Washington, Oregon, California and more. I settled on one of my favorites from Maryhill winery (available at Winestock-online.com) and let the good times roll. You definitely need to visit this place if you’re ever in the area, you will thank yourself forever! (Raw’s website is under construction)

                  Winespeak is the name of the set of vernacular used by wine geeks to describe something within the wine world. This, of course can make others not in the wine world feel uncomfortable and intimidated, so we decided to give a quick lesson to help you feel more at ease in a room full of winos.

 

NOSE: This term is used to describe the aroma of a wine. You may see others dip their entire noses into the glass and them exclaim something like: “Shoyu! I get shoyu and berries!” This basically just means that they are describing the smell of a wine.

 

LEGS: The “legs” of a wine are the little streaming trails of wine that drip back down the side of the glass after being swirled around to aerate. The slower the “legs” drip back into the bowl, the heartier the wine. Usually more noticeable in red wines.

 

OAKY: A common aroma of wine is Oak. It is because a majority of wines are kept in oak barrels to age. They naturally extract the slight flavor and aroma of the oak in which they were stored. It is done on purpose, and it depends on the drinker whether this is favorable or not. Most people enjoy, or do not mind some trace of oak.

 

OLD WOLRD WINE: An old world wine is any wine made in Europe. The reason being: Europe was on the forefront of winemaking far before North or South America, and have a longer or older history with it.

 

NEW WORLD WINE: Any wine produced in North or South America, Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. Considered to be the followers in the history of wine production.

 

 

 

                 Castoro Cellars, “Blind Faith” Pinot Noir(’06)– A wonderful, smooth wine from Paso Robles, Ca. This wine gets its grapes from the Blind Faith vineyards where it is grown with other varietals. The temperature fluctuates severely at times through the growing season creating a grape that yields extremely silky flavor and texture. A perfect representation of California’s ability to make a superb Pinot.

$25.50

                 Panarroz, estate bottled (‘06)- Wonderful, estate bottled red wine from the Jumilla region of Spain. This wine is a blend of  Grenache, Mouvedre, and Syrah. Juicy and plump with flavors of plum, blackberry, and pepper. You will be surprised how easy this wine goes down even at 14% alc. Great for BBQ’s.

$22.00

 These wines are exclusive to Hawaii through Winestock. To order proceed to www.winestock-online.com, and select “products”. You may pay online and choose to have your wine stored, delivered, or pick it up!