M*E Fine Wines: Featured Winery: Scarbolo

M*E Fine Wines: Featured Winery: Scarbolo: Azienda Agricola Scarbolo, Friuli, Italy   Valter Scarbolo inherited a passion for the vine from his father’s interest in viticultu...

8th Annual Wine Amplified Festival at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas

This year marked the 8th year for Rock n Roll Wines Wine Amplified Festival. 

Over  150 wines from 50+ wineries were poured at this laid back yet high energy annual festival that many call the "Best Vegas event of the year".

Wine Amplified

The event started with "Bubbles and Chocolate" presented  by Moet and Chandon Champagne with 

live performance's by Triple-Platinum rock band Collective Soul, Gavin Degraw, Austin Brown 

and Vertical Horizon. 

Over  150 wines from 50+ wineries were poured at this laid back yet high energy annual festival that many call the "Best Vegas Event of the Year". The range of wines was from fun stuff such as Hello Kitty and chocolate flavored wines to the more serious wines like 94 point rated Il Marroneto from CRU Montosoli, Tuscany Italy and the wines from the Caymus Family Vineyards. Other standout were Vivera Martinella from Mt Etna Sicily. Rock and Roll Wine founders Chris Hammond and Sonny Barton are also wine producers. Their very own Grotto and Rhapsody both very fruit forward and showed very well

Paul Ellis and Yukino Aoshima of M*E Fine Wines
pouring a stellar line up of wines

Roughly 3000 wine and music lovers spread out over the gorgeous 11 acre Mandalay Beach feasted on foods from Aureole, MIX, Border Grill and Strip Steak as they sipped wines and "Rock out, with their corks out" as the two huge banners on each side of the stage displayed.





Up in the exclusive Moorea Beach which was the VIP area, Top Chef  Master and much celebrated Rick Moonen served some signature dishes from his newly revamped RX Boiler Room such as Chicken Pot Pie Nuggets, Natural Jus Inside Out French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese Rx Fish Tacos in Taro Root Shell Braised Oxtail Croquettes with Truffle Mayonnaise.

It is just a matter of time before this annual event goes National. Kudos to the entire Rock and Roll Wine team!

You can check out Rick Moonen's Fish Without a Doubt: The Cook's Essential Companion

8th Annual Wine Amplified Festival - Las Vegas, NV

The 8th Annual Rock 'n Roll Wine Amplified weekend will kick off with Bubbles and Chocolate featuring Collective Soul & Official Vertical Horizon at Moorea Beach Club Friday, Sept 6th. And continues to Saturday Sept 7th - 150 wine from 50 wineries with Gavin DeGraw and special guests Austin Brown, Josh Krajcik,  and Lady Reiko & The Sin City Prophets at Mandalay Bay Beach.

TIP: Up in VIP M*E Fine Wines will the be showcasing Italy's top wines from the best CRU vineyards from the regions of Friuli, Tuscany and Abruzzo and Dragons Hollow the first premium wine from China.  

Sushi Samba, the Palazzo, Las Vegas

Chef Herb Wilson is the executive chef of SushiSamba in Las Vegas, which fuses Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian styles of cooking.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33816_162-57597963/the-dish-chef-herb-wilsons-churrasco/

The Palazzo in Las Vegas to host historic wine tasting

On July 30, 2013 in cooperation with the Venetian and Palazzo Resorts, David Henderson, China Fine Wine and M*E Fine Wines will host the premiere United States tastings (in some cases, the first time outside of China) of three Ultra-Premium award-winning wines of Mainland China: Decanter Gold Medal winner Helan Qing Xue,“Jia Bei Lan,” winemaker Emma Gao’s sought-after Silver Heights, and the new 2011 vintage of Dragon’s Hollow.

The wines will be poured for a very exclusive group of influential Las Vegas Master Sommeliers and Wine Directors, as these bottles will only be available in limited quantities on this side of the Pacific.

Just as US wines (particularly West Coast) are making inroads into the Chinese market, Dragon’s Hollow Founder David Henderson (considered Godfather of Fine Wine in China) and Nevada representatives Paul R. Ellis and Joe Muscaglione are bullish on quality Chinese wines gaining widespread acceptance in Asian (and even non-Asian) themed outlets. Already, Dragon’s Hollow has over 50 placements in Las Vegas alone.

Mr. Henderson will discuss the future of Chinese Fine Wine at the tasting. Las Vegas’ Artisanal Foods will provide some pairing small bites.

Where: The Palazzo Hospitality Suit

Time: 2:00 4:00 PM

M*E Fine Wines (mefinewines.com) are exclusively distributed through J&P, a division of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada.

Wine and Travel Event

Presented by AAA Travel
Join AAA Travel and General Tours, for a special presentation of the CULTURAL DISCOVERY TOURS, while you experience the wine pairings at Total Wine & More.

When: Wednesday April 6, 2011 6:30PM - 8PM

Where: Total Wine & More, 501 N. Stephanie Street, Henderson, NV 89014

RSVP: 702-727-2884 -SPACE IS LIMITED!
$10 per person admission at door

Let our expertise be your guide, as you experience the tastes and sights of South Africa and South America....with our expert travel professionals in partnership with General Tours.

Light refreshments provided
Incentives for early bookings
Vendor presentation
Door Prizes

Enjoy exciting presentations from our travel partner: Judy Ruffini with General Tours!

RSVP by 04/04/11.
Call Josie Banuelos at (702) 727-2884 or email Josefina.Banuelos@GoAAA.com for more information.

Two locations to Service you in Henderson:

Eileen Grossman and Ronna Lacy: 1000 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Ste 620, Henderson NV 89074

Heather Enck: 1331 W. Warm Springs Road, Ste 110, Henderson NV 89014

Date:     April 06, 2011 - Wednesday   Time: 6:30PM - 8PM

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Former Las Vegas Sommelier & Top Chef Contestant a Hit with W. Palm Beach Crowd

Congratulations to our very own/former Las Vegas Vine-Guy and Top Chef Contender, Stephen Asprinio. His new restaurant, in West Palm Beach, has foodies and wine geeks alike lining up to experience some Vegas into the other sunny state - Florida.

By Jan Norris

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The big-bang restaurant on Clematis for the moment is Forte di Asprinio, created by Top Chef contestant, and Wellington fresh-facer, Stephen Asprinio.

Done up in a "modern chic" design that Asprinio created from drawing board to the finishing touches, the 5,550- square-feet restaurant opens Saturday to the public.


"A lot of lessons learned," Asprinio, 26, says of his experience being project manager of the build-out, designer, kitchen manager and consultant all around.

"A lot of battles to get this far. But it's finally coming along."

He was three days away from a grand-opening party, and workers were still finishing up construction in the dining rooms.

Forte has 175 seats inside and on the sidewalk. Gray plastic screw-shaped tables in the lounge, lilac suede low sofas, titanium-covered dining tables, a glass bar with acrylic barstools, billowy sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains and a wall of keychain material make for a hip, flowing space.

Lilac, fuchsia and flamingo pinks mixed with violets are set against crisp white walls to produce a cool palette - "they're definitely my favorite colors," Asprinio said. "There will be something of a shock value, but it's fun, and not unapproachable."

Wireless "notepads" are part of the service tricks to keep things moving seamlessly from kitchen to service - another one of Asprinio's focuses.

For the menu, "it's a mixture of ideas," Asprinio said. "Traditional Tuscan with progressive touches - but not fusion. Risotto ala Chianti, with a foam. Crudo, panini. We won't abandon the authentic for the sake of modernizing a dish."

Weekday lunches are panini and salads, with antipasti - a three-course lunch is $15. A multi-course chef's tasting can be put together at dinner; a 13-course meal for four, paired to top wines, is $1,000 in a special dining space next to the wine room.

Late-night diners - they're open till 2 a.m. - can get in on a small-plate menu of 15 dishes and five desserts.

Chef de cuisine is Mark Liberman, formerly of San Francisco's La Folie. He said, "Don't expect fusion. You won't find ginger and wasabi here." Instead, diners can feast on crispy-skinned salmon with cippoline jam, and arugula foam; pumpkin mezzaluna pastas with brown butter, sage and amaretti.

Three sommeliers on staff, and a mixologist (bar chef) put a focus on the bar and lounge. All fruit juices and mixers will be freshly squeezed and created from the kitchen. A special ice cube machine and nitrogen-system for recapping wine bottles are part of the bar.

"We've got some unique wines not available anywhere else in the U.S.," Asprinio said. "The cellar is more than 500 bottles - not bad for a space like this. Things like a '47 Cheval Blanc, several magnums, a Far Niente signed by the winemaker in its early days — things they couldn't get in Vegas, even."

> Forte di Asprinio

225 Clematis St., West Palm Beach

(561) 833-3330;

Open: lunch, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner and late-night menus, Tuesday-Saturday from 5:30 p.m.