Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/44136
SPEED TASTING REPORT Rhône W hat do the Rhône Valley and Sin City have in common? Well, not a whole lot outside of a passion and appreciation for wonderful wines. But THE TASTING PANEL, ever the maverick that we are, brought these two opposite worlds together for a red-Rhône-varietal Speed Tasting that was presided over by some of Vegas's most influential industry insiders, all without leaving The Strip. One Rhône red—either Old World or New—from each participating producer was presented to our panel of Vegas buyers and sommeliers, who first blind- tasted the wines and wrote notes, offering educated guesses as to the origin and style of each. The suppliers for each wine were then rallied at French bistro Comme Ça at The Cosmopolitan to reveal their bottle and talk it up. The Panel There are few cities in the world where you can tap into the kind of talent that exists in Las Vegas, and THE TASTING PANEL was flattered with the enthusiastic response we received from wine directors at properties up and down The Strip eager to test their palates in a blind tasting. Talk about a powerhouse. Collectively, these men oversee mil- lions in annual sales, opening the kind of bottles every week that some dream of uncorking in a year. William Sherer, MS, Aureole at Mandalay Bay Dean Wachstetter, Sommelier, Stratosphere Hotel, Top of the World Restaurant Bretton Lammi, CS, CSW, Resort Sommelier for the Cosmopolitan Jason Smith, MS, Bellagio Bruno Bonnet, Sommelier CMS III, (and our event host) Comme Ça restaurant at The Cosmopolitan Victor Pinkston, Beverage Director, B&B Ristorante at The Venetian Derick Rossmiller, Wine Manager, Caesars Palace Joseph Phillips, MS, Michael Mina at Bellagio A BLIND TASTING IN FRONT OF A SUPER-CHARGED PANEL OF SOMMELIERS Rendezvous photos by Danielle "Deed" DeBruno 74 / the tasting panel / october 201 1