WINE
Over the course of the last decade, Las Vegas has redefined the culinary and wine experience by offering the most comprehensive collection of celebrity chefs and world-class restaurants, more Master Sommeliers than any other city in the world and more wine sold per capita than in any other destination. Las Vegas provides the ultimate wine
tasting experience, mixing old-world tradition with contemporary technology.

With the city being recognized around the world for its burgeoning list of exquisite wine cellars and numerous Master Sommeliers who call Las Vegas home, it is easy to see why it's time to toast Las Vegas.

Fast Facts

• According to the Court of Master Sommeliers, the entity that educates and certifies master sommeliers, there are 100 professionals who hold the title Master Sommelier in North America. There are a total of 171 Master Sommeliers worldwide.
  
  
• With 18 master sommeliers, Las Vegas holds the distinction of having more than any other U.S. city:
  
  
  • Steve Morey - 1992
    
  • Ira Harmon - 1993
    
  • Steven Geddes - 1994
    
  • Jay James - 1997
    
  • William Sherer - 1998
    
  • Cameron Sisk - 1998
    
  • Ron Mumford - 1999
    
  • Kevin Vogt - 1999
    
  • Kenneth Fredrickson - 2000
    
  • Larry O'Brien - 2001
    
  • Robert Bigelow - 2002
    
  • Luis DeSantos - 2002
    
  • Paolo Barbieri - 2003
    
  • Robert Smith - 2004
    
  • Darius Allyn - 2005
    
  • Jason Smith - 2005
    
  • Thomas Burke - 2007
    
  • Joseph Phillips - 2008
  
  
  
• In 2009, B.R. Guest Restaurants announced that B.R. Guest Director of Wine an Spirits Laura Maniec earned the title of Master Sommelier. She is the 18th woman in the world to hold this distinction, and at 29 is the youngest active Master Sommelier in the world. Laura has been with B.R. Guest since 2001, where she began her career as a sommelier at Blue Fin in the W Times Square. B.R. Guest properties in Las Vegas include Dos Caminos inside The Palazzo and Fiamma Trattoria inside MGM Grand.
  
  
• Bellagio has established the record for the most Master Sommeliers at a single property anywhere in the world. The resort currently has four Master Sommeliers including Robert Bigelow, the property's director of wine, Robert Smith of Picasso, Jason Smith of MICHAEL MINA Bellagio and Joseph Phillips of Sensi. Additional on-property Master Sommeliers include William Sherer at Aureole (Mandalay Bay), Paolo Barbieri at Alex (Wynn Las Vegas), Luis DeSantos at Spago (Forum Shops at Caesars), Kevin Vogt at Delmonico Steakhouse (The Venetian), Jason Smith at Michael Mina (Bellagio) and Thomas Burke at Red Rock Resort Spa Casino.
  
  
• Master Sommelier Steven Geddes began his career at Alizé at the Palms under the tutelage of the restaurant's owner, André Rochat. Geddes began working for Rochat in 1977 as a busboy. After Geddes expressed his interest in wine, Rochat began mentoring him. He went on to earn the title of Master Sommelier at age 29, the youngest to ever earn the title at the time. Alizé now boasts a 65-page wine list with more than 1,000 varietals and 5,000 bottles.
  
  
• In 1999, Chef Charlie Palmer tapped Geddes to serve as wine director for his $11 million restaurant, Aureole at Mandalay Bay. There, Geddes built an impressive list of fine wines backed by an inventory of more than 55,000 bottles. Today, many of those bottles are innovatively displayed in a 4-story, $1.5 million "Mission: Impossible"-inspired wine tower. Guests select their wines from a wine list contained in a tablet PC. "Wine angels," who are trained acrobats and gymnasts, scale the tower with the aid of cables to retrieve each bottle from its carefully controlled 55-degree environment. The most expensive bottle in Aureole's collection is a $42,000 bottle of 1900 Petrus.
  
  
• At Wynn Las Vegas, the property's wine director Danielle Price manages the wine lists for nine fine dining and six casual restaurants, in-room dining, banquets, nightclub, and all lounges and bars. The property has an inventory of more than 100,000 bottles, including a $50,000, six-liter 1990 Cristal Champagne. In addition, she supervises her team of 17 on-property sommeliers.
  
  
• The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room at The Rio is home to an impressive public wine collection featuring 50,000 bottles valued at more than $10 million. Amongst the bottles - an 1800 Madeira from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson. The Cellar also has rare "cult" wines and collectible labels from around the globe.
  
  
• Napoleon's Champagne Bar at Paris Las Vegas ensures the French are known for more than just fine wine. Napoleon's boasts a selection of more than 100 champagnes and sparkling wines by the bottle and by the glass. Guests can sip everything from Moët to Dom Perignon.
  
  
• Onda Wine and Cheese Lounge at The Mirage is an Italian-inspired lounge where guests can enjoy a selection of wines by purchasing a tasting flight or individual glasses. A selection of artisan cheeses and meats complements each tasting and all wines are available for purchase.