Market Watch, April 2016

114 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM APRIL 2016Wine Star Of The StripJason Smith aims to make wine fun at Bellagio in Las Vegas SOMMELIER SPOTLIGHTFrom its iconic fountains to its lobby with art glass ceilings Bellagio Casino Resort in Las Vegas draws in the crowds Wine is poured at 32 dining venues on the MGM property and Jason Smith Bellagios master sommelier and wine director since 2008 is charged with making the wine experience magical Some of Bellagios wine destination restau rants include Picasso Michael Mina Bellagio Prime and Lago by Julian Serrano Smith manages almost 100000 bottles spanning about 5000 labels He also over sees wine training for roughly 3500 service employees and works with 17 additional sommeliers Across the Bellagio property about 250 wines are available by the glass Every day wine is delivered from Bellagios temperature controlled warehouse to its restaurants by forklift Since Bellagios launch in 1998 fine wine has been a focus Although Smith has expanded the selection of Burgundies grower Champagnes and other wines he concentrates on creating memorable experiences The goal isnt simply to add more labels but to provide the best wines for our guests enjoyment Smith says We fine tune our lists with this in mind Smith earned his master sommelier certification in 2005 and his particular expertise is in Burgundy and small produc tion California wineries After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America he worked at such venues as Charlie Trotters in Chicago the 21 Club in New York City and The Little Nell in Aspen Colorado In 2006 he started at Bellagio as head sommelier at Michael Mina In his two years there he nearly doubled the list by adding 350 wines including numerous Burgundies Over the last decade Smith has seen wine tastes broaden in Las Vegas The food and wine scene is becoming more diverse Smith says More unique restaurants are opening both on and off the Strip such as Harvest by Roy Ellamar here at Bellagio In response we seek to make our wine lists more esoteric without alienating our core guests Bellagio offers an array of verticals including seven vintages of Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia dating to 1990 505 to 2005 a 750 ml bottle six vintages of Château Lafite Rothschild dating to 1982 4165 to 18375 six vintages of Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée Conti dating to 1995 25000 to 61290 14 vintages of Bodegas Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva dating to 1962 850 to 1630 and six vintages of R López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva dating to 1947 108 to 1575 We provide eye catching verticals with vintage variation Smith says Our guests are blown away by the verticals of Vega Sicilia and López de Heredia At Picasso the 2014 Morgadío Albariño Rías Baixas 59 a 750 ml bottle and the 2013 Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 17 a six ounce pour 64 a 750 ml bottle are the top selling whites For the Asian inspired appetizers at Prime and Michael Mina Smith recom mends German Riesling such as the 2012 Joh Jos Prüm Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling 110 a 750 ml bottle At Prime both the 2012 Lewis Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 210 and the 2008 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 151 are popular with steak At Michael Mina Smith works with the chef and sommeliers to develop wine pairings for the various tasting menus 65 to 88 for six 3 ounce pours Las Vegas celebratory vibe calls for bubbles and Smith likes to introduce guests to vintage bottlings of grower Champagne such as the 2004 Vilmart Cie Coeur de Cuvée Brut 335 a 750 ml bottle and the 2005 Pierre Gimmonet Special Club 199 Smith suggests the 1998 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Brut 925 with caviar at Michael Mina Smiths most progressive pairings have combined wine with artwork at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art where he has teamed up with the gallerys director to create monthly art and wine pairings 34 to 42 Smith has led wine discussions and provided notes on how the artwork evokes certain flavors For instance he has explained why the 2010 Ferrari Carano Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc pairs with Claude Monets Meadow Although hes no longer on the floor every night Smith still works at all of Bellagios special events The best part of my job is working with our team of passionate and talented sommeliers Smith says We give guests a down to earth experience Too many people have been intimidated by wine I want to make wine fun mwAngel AntinAngel Antin is a Denver based freelance writer Jason Smith master sommelier and wine director at Bellagio in Las Vegas manages almost 100000 bottles across 32 venues