The 39th Annual UNLVino Wine Tasting (Saturday, April 20th)

 

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The best wine tasting event in Las Vegas for the money is undoubted “UNLVino,” held in the springtime.  This spectacular wine festival takes place over four days and nights, culminating in an extravagant awards ceremony on Saturday night, held this year at the Paris (Las Vegas).

 

Marieta and I had the opportunity to attend a special tasting afterward, which was open only to those who work in the wine trade (it’s a long story).  Our special tasting took place from 11 pm until 2 am, which gave us three additional full hours to sample many of the best wines from around the world.

Sampling every wine and liquor available would have been next to impossible, and if you did so, that intoxicating experience would undoubtedly have been followed by an epic hangover.  But if you’re going to drink more than you ever have before, then this is the place to do it.

The tasting consisted of about 90 to 100 suppliers, each pouring an average of 4 to 6 different wines.  So, if you add up the math — that’s like 500 different bottles.  Then, there were vodkas, tequilas, bourbons, scotches, and some new aperitifs I was not familiar with (but begged to be sampled — and surely were).

Samples included everything from the elegant Gevrey Chambertin (my favorite wine in the world — see photo above) to special-recipe Patron margaritas spiked with orange juice.

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Here’s Marieta with me in all her supreme loveliness.  As you can see from the scene behind us, the event is well spread out.  It takes place inside a huge ballroom at the Paris Casino.  Unlike many other wine tastings we’ve attended, crowds were not a problem.  There’s even a live band playing with a dance floor.

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Forget about Yellow Tail being served in this room.  Most of the wines here are in what I call the “high-class but affordable” category.  What I mean is, they’re very good wines within the price range of most wine drinkers.  Let’s be honest — few of us can afford to drink Opus One every night.  So, we opt for wines priced in the $15-50 category.  Of course, there are some very good wines priced even less, and quite a few more priced above this range.  But most of the wines we tasted Saturday night were within the affordable price category, with a few notable exceptions.

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I’ve already revealed that my favorite wine is Cevrey Chamberlain.  Marieta’s personal favorite is Clos du Mesnil.  Our favorite “together” wine is Chateauneuf du Pape, which comes in a few hundred different varietals.  Over the past 20 years, we’ve tried perhaps a third of them — and have never gone wrong.  Most Chateauneuf du Pape bottles are priced in the $18 to $75 range which makes them a wonderful and affordable wine for any occasion — or no occasion at all!

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Most of the suppliers had knowledgeable wine representatives who shared information about the wines.  I always find that hearing something special about the wine enhances an appreciation for its uniqueness.

However, some vendors simply left the tasting and put out their wines which could be free-poured.  Here’s one of the few times in your life where you can empty the bottle into your glass and taste some extraordinary wine..  But one must be careful.  At a good wine tasting, pacing yourself is everything.

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How about three different types of Caymus?

I tend to prefer powerful full-bodied reds.  Obviously, California produces the very best of these (for the Las Vegas market).  I’m also very fond of Argentina’s wines.  My favorite wines of all mostly come from the Rhone Valley of France.  French wines do not tend to be as overwhelming as full-bodied reds from California.  Their subtlety and sophistication make them special.

As for wines I avoid — just about anything from Italy (too many tannins) or Australia (just not a fan of these).

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For those who have never attended a wine tasting before, here’s a good photo that shows the typical experience.

You present your glass to the representative.  He or she asks you which one (or more) wines you would like to sample.  Usually, you sample no more than one or two, although there are exceptions — especially if it’s a wine you really enjoy.  The pourings are pretty generous.  Typically, you get about a quarter glass, which can quickly add up to several bottles (combined) if you visit a few dozen wine stations.  For this reason, at many tastings, the judges will sample the wine and then spit it out.  This is not meant to be rude or a sign of displeasure.  To drink every single wine would simply be far too intoxicating for any one individual.

Of course, lovely Marieta is in a class all her own.

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There are no real winners or losers at a wine tasting.  Everyone’s taste is different.  This is what makes the experience so unique.

But if we had to choose our favorite wine of the evening, it would be this one — Insignia.

Naturally, it’s one of the more expensive samples on the floor — priced at about $160 a bottle.

This wine was spectacular.  It blew me away.  My beloved Cevrey Chamberlain now has a serious challenger.

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I’m an unapologetic drinker.  I set out to enjoy what I drink and let nothing stand in the way of that experience.

My love affair with wine was kindled by Marieta, who as you know is from Europe.  Europeans tend to have vastly different attitudes about wine than average Americans.  It’s consumed more regularly, is more affordable (in restaurants), and is a part of daily life for people of all ages — even children who often sample wine under adult supervision.

I view this model as the correct way to teach children about drinking.  Rather than deny them the right to drink alcohol, and make it taboo for youngsters to consume adult beverages in public, I favor teaching kids responsible drinking.  Moreover, once kids learn to respect alcohol and appreciate its complexities and even dangers, they will be less likely to harm themselves or others.

All you need to do is look at the rates of alcohol abuse in the United States versus other nations to realize how ridiculous our society’s standards are about alcohol.

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All good things must come to an end.

Here’s Marieta getting her own private escort out of the wine tasting by two of Las Vegas Metro’s finest.  Fortunately, order was restored thanks to these wonderful police officers.

Hope to see you at next year’s UNLVino wine tasting.

Cheers!