The Grape Nut

This Thanksgiving, consider inviting a new guest. The Klein family may not be able to join you for turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, but their Sonoma County, Calif., wines—including Davis Bynum Winery and Rodney Strong Vineyards—would be a welcomed addition to your gathering.

Think of it as going the extra mile, walking the walk or what have you. It’s a little-known fact outside some circles that many of Vegas’ finest sommeliers, wine directors and chefs are themselves winemakers. While the grapes in question may not be Nevadan (probably for the best), the talented palates that introduce Vegas to the wines of the world are expressing themselves through blends and single varietal wines from all over the West Coast. And one restaurant has generously aggregated the lot of them into the Vegas Vintners local winemaker menu in addition to its own list, curated by sommelier and beverage director Troy Kumalaa.

The Venetian and Palazzo’s monthlong Bordeaux wine celebration culminates with a tasting under the stars 7-10 p.m. Sept. 24 at Azure Luxury Pool. “Since a young age I’ve always been passionate about the wines of Bordeaux,” says Sebastien Silvestri, Venetian/Palazzo vice president of food and beverage. Hailing from the south of France himself, Silvestri says celebrations always called for Bordeaux, preferably red.

For the highly anticipated 2008 vintage of Rock ‘n Roll Wine’s The Grotto, Vegas-based winemakers Chris Hammond and Sonny Barton have flipped the script (or rather, the cuvée) on the grapes that comprise the luscious red California blend. Whereas the 2006 featured grenache, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel, the 2008 blend relies mainly on zinfandel and syrah, plus just a five percent blend of petite syrah, cabernet sauvignon and petite verdot to express Rock ‘n Roll Wine’s mission of making wine more accessible. As the cépages (grape varieties) change with each vintage, the guys simply call it “Chris and Sonny’s Proprietary Blend.”