Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/326040
42 / the tasting panel / june 2014 MILESTONES I t sounds like an unlikely starting place for one of the most storied annual wine events in the nation, but as Larry Ruvo puts it, "I always tell people that we are not in the wine business—we are in the ice cream business." The Senior Managing Director for Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada further explains, "If you've ever tasted ice cream after it's melted, it's no good. The same is true for wine." It's this simple principle that paved the way for the birth of UNLVino, recalls Ruvo. "Forty-eight years ago, one of our large off-premise accounts called me personally and said that they'd sold a case of wine to a lady, and when she went to enjoy it, she opened the case, and all the corks were off. I could not understand how this could have possibly happened, because we always had temperature control, humidified warehousing and trucking, so I spoke to the retailer and said, 'I want to meet this lady. I will certainly replace the wine, but I want to hear from her.'" "So I went to the store and met her, and said, 'First of all, here's a new case of wine. But after I heard of your complaint, I went into our warehouse, and I know our product is good. I just want to know how you could have possibly gotten a bad case. Can you tell me what you did after you purchased the wine?'" UNLVINO CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF VEGAS'S VINIFICATION by Rachel Burkons Larry Ruvo, Senior Managing Director, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, is also a co-founder of UNLVino. PHOTO: MONA SHEILD PAYNE PHOTO: MATT CARTER Vino in Vegas TP0614_034-71.indd 42 5/23/14 9:22 PM