Aureole, Mandalay Bay

Aureole's Wine Tower is so high you'll see Wine Angels

Share

Oct 23, 2009

When it comes to wine, Aureole's award-winning collection (re “Wine Spectator” magazine) and service is definitely one for the book. In this case, it's the innovative electric hand-held touch screen computer eWinebook that this venue designed to give patrons access to Aureole's 4,000 wine selections and 40,000 bottles of wine, 10,000 of which reside in its Wine Tower (the other 30,000 are stored in wine cellars behind the restaurant).  

At any given time in this Charlie Palmer gourmet room at Mandalay Bay, there are three to four Sommeliers on the floor, along with two Wine Angels (female wine stewards) and one or two wine runners (who also fetch wine). Wine Director William Sherer, one of only 136 Master Sommeliers in the entire country, is always at the helm.            

The 42-foot-tall, four-story glass-and-stainless steel temperature-controlled (at 55 degrees) WineTower is the first of its kind in the world, claim the Aureole folks. Located in the lounge, it was inspired by a scene in "Mission Impossible" in which Tom Cruise was lowered from the ceiling on a harness. And, yes, the Wine Angels will don modified rock-climbing harnesses with holsters and physically ascend one of the tower’s four motorized mechanical hoists via a small remote to obtain your wine selection from its specific bin and deliver it to you in the lounge. Drink up -- each can put up to 12 bottles in her holster at a time.  

The core of Aureole's wine program evolves from the acquisition of a broad eclectic selection through auction and from private collection of mature wines with excellent provenance featuring many of the world's classic rare wines.  There are hundreds of bottles of wine for under $100 and $50. Aureole boasts the largest selection of Washington red wines and Austrian white wines in the U.S. (rich red wines and aromatic white wines are the two up-and-coming categories in the world in their respective genres, according to William Sherer). And for that night when you hit Megabucks, Aureole suggests its 1900 Chateau Petrus from France, a Magnum Pomerol. The price? $45,000.  

Of course, it might help to have an (Wine) Angel on your shoulder while gambling.  

- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)