Wynn Las Vegas Magazine by MODERN LUXURY

WYNN - 2012 - Issue 1 - Spring

Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas

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VINE ARTS recommendations at SW Steakhouse: Au Sommet American grape Cabernet, DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc, a magnum of Neal Cabernet, Daou Celestus, and Greg Grangerville Pinot Noir. Linn Wines A few of Mark Thomas's AMERICA, THE DRINKABLE Move over, cola—the time has come for wine. BY AMY ZAVATTO T 126 WYNN homas Jefferson would be so very proud of us. No, not because we've managed to hold onto democracy for some 200-odd years. Rather, Founding Father Jefferson would smile upon us for something greater and dearer to his once-beating heart: We the people, in order to form a more perfect meal time, drink wine. And not just a little: A recent study shows that the US surpassed France by the close of 2010 as the largest wine-consuming nation in the world, topping off at 330 million cases shipped here (from outside our borders as well as the homegrown stuff). That amounts to about 2.54 gallons of vino per legally-consuming person. Wine certainly hasn't always been a main Oregon, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington state), more and more of it is well worth the sipping. Washington, the third largest wine- producing region in the US, has found its footing with elegant but full reds and aromatic whites from producers like one of Thomas's favor- ites, DeLille Cellars in Redmond, which he keeps on the wine menus at several Wynn spots, including SW Steakhouse, Botero, The Country Club, Switch Steak, Sinatra, and Society Café at Encore. Indeed, Thomas has liberally peppered the lists of SW Steakhouse and aspect of our culture, the way it is in Italy or France, but there has been a slow and steady uptick—2010 might have been the first time we were number one, but it was our 17th straight year of a rise in consumption. "I was surprised, because wine-consumption levels were always so much higher in European countries," says Mark Thomas, general wine buyer for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, "but I'm really pleased. This is pretty cool—it's a surprise, but a pleasant one." And it's not just what we're drinking, although that has changed, too. level with New World and even American wines." "New millennial drinkers have a certain comfort "The new millennial drinkers [people born in the '80s] are willing to experi- ment and try new wines," Thomas points out. "There's a certain comfort level they have with New World and even American wines." One explana- tion: the deluge of grapey information available to us now. Regardless of whether you're 25 or 75, a click of a mouse gives you access to pretty much anything and everything you'd ever want to know—or buy. There's also the fact that more and more wines are better made via modern winemaking techniques. Not to mention that even within our own borders, the act of winemaking has spread like so many out-of- control vines. Not only does every single state in the union offer some kind of grape-crushing and fermenting activity (most notably California, Botero with his American favorites, both old and new. "There's tons of value from California's Central Coast. I can't talk enough about it," he says, not- ing that the expression of that area's red varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah are particularly enchanting. Long living in the shadow of tiny Napa and strutting Sonoma, wineries like Daou Vineyards have been earmarked by Thomas as special wineries to keep an eye on, and whose recent vintages you can sam- ple yourself at Wynn's SW Steakhouse, Lakeside, and Parasol, as well as Society Café and Lobby Bar & Café at Encore. "Daou has the highest vineyards in the Adelaida region. They've found this really remarkable piece of real estate," he says. "Paso Robles in particular is really up and coming. The western half of the region has mountain ranges with all this calcareous stone—it's great." And of course, there's the place where it all started. Napa's phenomenal wineries like Au Sommet, Greg Linn Wines, and Neal Family Vineyards are just a few who get the nod of approval from Thomas for their abilities to produce world-class wines. All can be found on the lists at SW Steakhouse, Botero, and select fine-dining restaurants throughout Wynn and Encore such as Wing Lei and Bartolotta. But these days, maybe it's less about casting long shadows and more about rising tides lifting all boats. "You have to start with a lot of variety and experimentation," says Thomas. "Places like Washington are a great example of a place that has come out of that experimental phase to say, 'Here's what we do well.' I think that time brings success everywhere." ■ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KARVOUNIS

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