Tuesday, April 5, 2011 | 7:30 p.m.
Fridays in the cellar have a new beat. Rock ’n’ Roll Wine has teamed up with M Resort to create the Tasting Room & Sound Bar every Friday night. A couple of floors downstairs, the dark, intimate Hostile Grape wine bar couldn’t be a more perfect fit.
The room is full of happy, mostly 30-something locals, mingling and lounging with their wine glasses and cheese plates when I arrive on April 1 for opening night. I buy a wine card from the bar and head for the Enomatic machines to get in some tastes before musician Jared Lee starts wooing the crowd. With so many choices, including wines paired with musical genres specifically for this event, I decide to go with one I’ll be hearing tonight: Top 40, paired with a 2008 the Grotto—“like the chorus of your favorite radio hit, this Zin/Syrah blend is melodic and unforgettable with succulent fruit and hedonistic hints of spice sure to be on Ryan Seacrest’s weekly countdown,” according to tasting notes.
The Details
- Fridays, 5 p.m., live entertainment at 9:30 p.m.
- The Hostile Grape at M Resort
- RSVP at rocknrollwine.com
- Rock 'n' Roll Wine Tasting Room & Sound Bar
Each genre (Top 40, reggae, ’80s hair band, R&B, indie/alternative rock, etc.) is paired with a white and a red with amusing descriptive notes (see: “blingy fruit” in hip-hop’s 2008 Hugel Gewurztraminer) explaining how the music matches the wine’s flavors.
“I was very pleased to see how the musically themed wine pairing was received,” says RnR Wine co-founder Sonny Barton. “In working the room, it was interesting to hear people say they were trying a particular wine that they may have shied away from in the past simply because it was paired with a genre of music that they loved. Our attempt at trying to get people out of their wine comfort zone might just be working.”
Arrive early on Friday for tastings of RnR’s own blends, Rhapsody and the Grotto, from 5 to 7 p.m., then take part in an “interactive wine battle,” texting votes on a flight of wines paired with a featured genre of the week.
At M Resort, locals reign supreme. Anthony Marnell III opened this casino with value in mind. With affordable drinks and meals and lots of incentives to play, it's no wonder why M has been a hit since it opened its doors in March 2009.
The property is decorated with dark wood, rich colors and amber-like light fixtures. Gaming offerings include more than 1,800 slot machines and 60 table games, as well as a poker room and race and sports book.
The resort houses 390 guest rooms, including 39 luxury suites. Designed with a modern and contemporary feel, M’s rooms feature dark wood, chrome fixtures and white linens, and are accented by blue or burgundy throws and pillows. Rooms boast floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the mountains or the Strip.
M dining options include Studio B, a show kitchen buffet; "twisted farm food" at Hash House a Go Go; Baby Cakes bakery; Anthony’s Burgers & Brews, serving gourmet burgers and fries; Vig Deli; Anthony’s Prime Steak & Seafood; Marinelli’s Authentic Italian Dishes; and the Hostile Grape Wine Cellar, where guests can taste more than 160 types of wine. Plus, 32° Draft has one of the largest beer selections in the valley, with 96 different beers on tap.
The four-star awarded, 23,000-square-foot Spa Mio offers a variety of treatments and services with saunas, Jacuzzis, 16 massage and facial rooms and a full-service salon and barbershop complete with built-in ESPN in the mirrors. Locals also receive 25 percent off all regular price services.
DayDream Pool Club heads up M's adult pool party scene offering the only locals pool party in the Valley.
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