The Tasting Panel magazine

March 2011

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HOT PROPERTY ver the years Utah’s teetotalling ways and draconian liquor laws have created some unusual situations: cocktails necessitating food orders, a private club membership to drink at a bar, glass dividers between bartenders and patrons. In 2009 that all began to change when former governor Jon Huntsman, who also happens to be Mormon, successfully lobbied to abolish some of those atavistic regulations in efforts to boost tourism. Pedigree in Park City O Reform came just in time for the 2010 opening of the toney St. Regis Deer Valley Resort in Park City. Butler service, ski valets (warmed boots, anyone?), a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, champagne-sabering classes and an 8,000 bottle wine cellar with nearly 1,000 different labels, make it an ideal year-round destination for wine and food enthusiasts with outdoor sports proclivities. But guests can first ease into high altitude living by imbibing the resort’s signature cocktail, the 7452 Mary (a reference to the resort’s altitude), a spicy number with wasabi-celery foam, a black-sea-salted rim, tangy Worcester hot sauce, all spiked with a locally made vodka from High West Distillery. “All drinks start in the kitchen, not the bar,” boasts Food and Beverage Director Mark Eberwein. “Fresh ingredients make better drinks.” To that end, the cocktail menu is graced with not only hand made sodas (passion chili and cherry yuzu) but offerings like the Ginger Margarita (Souza Hornitos Reposado, lime, ginger, and ginger salt), a vodka-thyme lemonade as well as a wide selection of local microbrews, including one called Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewery. With cocktail in hand, it’s easy to sate your après-ski appetite with a Jean-Georges classic: the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza. The wine list, however, is a source of resort pride, especially for one of the property’s managing partners, Michael 34 / the tasting panel / march 201 1 ST. REGIS DEER VALLEY RESORT RAISES THE BAR IN UTAH by Stacie Stukin Managing Partner Michael Zacarro (left) with F&B Director Mark Eberwein at the new St. Regis Deer Valley Resort. Zacarro. A former shareholder in Duckhorn Vineyards, Zacarro’s passion for wine supercedes his zeal for skiing (in fact, he never takes to the slopes), but he recognized an opportunity to build a vault that could create ties between Park City and Napa Valley. His quest started back in 2006 when he and his fellow partners worked with the state to expand resort liquor licensing rules, enabling the resort to purchase directly from wineries releases that currently weren’t for sale at Utah’s state-sanc- tioned and -operated liquor distributors. The wine vault is in fact one of the first things you’ll see upon debarking the state-of-the-art funicular that takes you up 230 vertical feet to the resort entrance. Pedigreed labels from around the globe are showcased, and the vault also doubles as a private dining room where Chef de Cuisine Matt Harris’s cuisine showcases local purveyors like Christiansen Family Farm and Snake River Farms (beef and pork) and Beehive Cheese Company, while the high-altitude farming warriors over at High Star Farms provide produce like greens, carrots and radishes. While there are many expensive options, Zacarro also made a point of having 50 labels under $50. “I wanted to take what could be a daunting wine list for someone who may be a novice and make it a less intimidating,” he says. Generally, his list favorites come from California. One surprise: the Syrah from Santa Ynez producer Jonata, and he’s still partial to stalwarts like Staglin Family Vineyards, Gargiulo Vineyards and Parallel Vineyards. When it comes to pairings for special event dinners, Zacarro explains, “The menu changes frequently and a lot of what we serve depends on what’s available locally, so we generally plan the menu with Matt, and then Mark [Eberwein] puts up with me as we plan the pairings.” Eberwein, who is also Sommelier, says, “My philosophy is, it doesn’t have to be too complicated.” And with a vault like that, why should it? Eberwein certainly has lots to choose from. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. REGIS DEER VALLEY RESORT

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