I enjoy a nice meal—and love great wines.
You can get both at once at a winemaker dinner, where a multi-course meal is paired with wines from a specific winemaker, who often provides insights into the winemaking process, the characteristics of the wines, and the stories behind them. In the Reno area, these dinners are generally held in high-end restaurants and casino steakhouses.
The Nugget Casino Resort has been a fixture in Sparks since 1955 and is now owned by Century Casinos, a company based in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Nugget offers one of the most refined and elevated culinary experiences in Reno at Anthony’s Chophouse, with old-school steakhouse vibes, a sophisticated yet comfortable atmosphere, and impeccable service. The wine list has 350 selections, including wines from France, Chile, Spain, Australia, Italy and Napa Valley. This list alone is reason enough to visit, but Anthony’s has great steaks and seafood, too.
I spoke with Art Mnatsakanyan, restaurant operations manager and sommelier. Mnatsakanyan said that all of the winemaker dinners at Anthony’s so far this year have sold out. “This includes dinners featuring the wines and some of the winemakers from DAOU Vineyards & Winery, Caymus Vineyards and Emmolo, Silver Oak and Twomey, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars,” he said. “We are looking forward to having full houses for our remaining dinners.”
These upcoming dinners will feature Frank Family Vineyards in July, Chalk Hill in September, Opus One and Robert Mondavi in October, Shafer in November, and Rombauer Vineyards in December. That is quite the lineup of winery heavy-hitters.
“We have great relationships with these wineries,” Mnatsakanyan said. “We plan 16 months or more in advance to secure their best wines for the dinner, and also to make sure we can provide the opportunity for attendees to buy these wines at the winery’s regular prices. … Next year, we have already made arrangements with wineries to have 12 winemaker dinners. These dinners are all about knowledge and experience. We invite the winemakers to attend—not the marketing people—to describe the winery, its history, culture and traditions, wines and pairings. We also provide generous food portions in each of the five courses served, so no one leaves hungry.”
At the May 30 dinner, for example, the menu chefs devised to complement the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars selections included a pan seared Atlantic salmon, a Bibb lettuce salad, a roasted Elk chop and a grilled striploin.
What a great formula. I have often left winemaker dinners at other venues and had to stop at a drive-thru on the way home, because I was still hungry after listening to a low-level marketing person talk about the winery in a very generic way.
“My team and I know one philosophy in hospitality—the best compliment that we can get is when our guests are coming back,” Mnatsakanyan said.
This philosophy seems to be working, as the wine dinners are so well-received at Anthony’s Chophouse that 50 people have signed up for all of the remaining events for this year. That is just a little less than half of the available seats for these dinners, as Anthony’s Chophouse can seat around 120 people.
Every seat in the house has a great view of the glass wine enclosure, and rich leather and fabrics keep the noise muffled and the atmosphere intimate. I look forward to attending an upcoming winemaker dinner at Anthony’s Chophouse, and finances permitting, I would encourage you to attend one as well.
Each wine dinner at Anthony’s Chophouse at the Nugget Casino Resort costs between $169 and $219. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cnty.com/nugget/dining/anthonys-chophouse.