Wine for Sale
FEATURED WINE RETAILER: Marche’ Bacchus
Situated at 2620 Regatta Drive, in Summerlin, along the shore of a scenic, man made lake, Marche’ Bacchus offers the Las Vegas wine lovers some unique opportunities for buying and tasting wines. The store tends to carry more high quality, unique wines that one would normally not find in most local retail outlets. It always has an excellent collection of premium California Cabernets and Pinot Noirs, French wines from Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley and Burgundy, and a nice assortment of quality Australian and Italian selections. They also carry a few hard to find wines from other regions, such as from Germany and South America. The store markets these wines at competitive prices.
Wine crates running down the length of the store showcase the bottles for sale. This makes viewing and shopping easy. As a further aide to help in the selection process, Marche’ Bacchus often attaches point scores from noted wine critics on the crates holding the wine.
The ownership prides itself on customer service, and will try to fill any customer order for any particular hard to find bottle of wine. Such bottles would include Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Sin Qua Non, Marcassin Pinot Noir, or Chateau Petrus, wines that you will virtually never see on any retailer’s shelf. Naturally, such bottles would take some time to procure, so if you need that special bottle for a big event, don’t wait until the last minute to order.
Last year, Marche’ Bacchus added a tasting bar and an Oz wine preservation system that allows a customer to sample high quality wines by the glass, in either three or five ounce portions. The system gives the customer an opportunity to taste the wine before making that big purchase. It includes up to 16 different wines at any one time. The list of wines available for tasting with this system varies constantly, but on a recent evening included bottles of the 2004 Pavillion Rouge (Chateau Margaux’ second wine), a 2005 Grand Cru from Burgundy, a 2004 Tignanello super-Tuscan, and a 2004 Dumol Syrah from the Russian River Valley. Prices for the three ounce taste ranged from $6.00-$18.60.
The wine tasting bar and bins loaded with a vast selection of wines...
Marche’ Bacchus also features an French bistro, with seating inside or on the patio alongside the lake. During the winter months, the restaurant has heater lamps, a fireplace and outdoor enclosure to protect against the cool temperatures. The chef, Christophe Ithurritze, hails from the Basque region of France, and specializes in classic French cuisine with contemporary flavors. The on site restaurant gives the patron a unique opportunity to shop for wines in the store, and to enjoy that same bottle moments later with gourmet food. For bottles purchased in the store, the restaurant charges only a nominal $10.00 corkage fee.
The store stages free wine tastings each Saturday between 11:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Typically, the distributor or winemaker shows up at these tastings to answer any questions concerning the wine. Friday evenings features jazz music from 5:30 until 7:30, and a $9.00 tasting menu prepared by the chef.
Occasionally, Marche Bacchus will host special events, such as the recent Tobin James wine dinner, Easter Sunday Brunch, and an annual New Years’ Eve wine dinner. Interested persons should call the store at (702)804-8008 or check the website at www.marchebacchus.com to ascertain a calendar of upcoming events.
Marche’ Bacchus-even the name conjures up thoughts of a far away place. “Marche”, meaning market in French, and “Bacchus” being the mythical “God of wine”, the moniker seems quite appropriate for this unique shop located at 2620 Regatta Drive in the Desert Shores community of Summerlin. Sitting beside the tranquil shores of Lake Jacqueline, Marche’ Bacchus provides a retreat from the traditional Las Vegas wine shop or restaurant. The establishment does take on two distinct personalities; a full service, comprehensive wine shop and a unique and charming French bistro style restaurant. As featured retailer, this article focuses mostly on the wine shop side of the business, but restaurant most certainly deserves a visit and Vegas Wine News will soon feature the bistro in a separate article.
Wine crates running down the length of the store showcase the bottles for sale. This not only adds to the ambience of the place, but makes viewing and shopping easy. As a further aide to help in the selection process, Marche’ Bacchus often attaches point scores from noted wine critics on the crates holding the wine.
The recently remodeled dining room...
The shop itself markets the most comprehensive selection of collectable wines in the Las Vegas area; more than 950 different labels from all over the world. Their collection of American Cabernet Sauvignons has some of the most sought after producers in the world, including Harlan Estate, Bryant Family, Schrader Beckstoffer Tokalon, Vineyard 29 and even the almost impossible to find Screaming Eagle. New world Pinot Noirs regularly on the shelves often include such names as Kosta-Browne, Sea Smoke and Marcassin. Moreover, the shop carries a wonderful array of French wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone Valley, including all the French first growth wines (Chateaux Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Haut Brion and Margaux). The selection of Burgundy wines collecrtion represents the most complete in all Las Vegas, including such exquisite producers as Dugat-Py, Romanee Conti and Lucien LeMoine.
The above list provides only a brief glimpse at the wines available at Marche’ Bacchus, as wines of every varietal and price level from around the United States, Italy, Australia, Austria, Germany, Chile and Argentina are offered. And although the store takes special pride in its hard to find selections, Marche’ Bacchus has a superb collection of everyday drinking wines available for those seeking bargains or on a budget. Marche’ Bacchus all their wines, whether at the exclusive or basic level, at competitive prices.
The store also provides customers with a unique opportunity to taste some truly fine wine at affordable prices through its Oz Wine Bar, a preservation system that allows for the storage of opened bottles of wine at appropriate temperatures without exposure to oxygen. The system gives the customer an opportunity to taste the wine before making that big purchase. It includes up to 20 different wines at any one time, in 1,3 or 5 ounce portions. The price of each tasting depends on the quantity and the wine selected. The list of wines available for tasting with this system varies constantly, but always includes some very fine choices. For example, system recently offered tastings of the 2005 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon (95 points by Robert Parker), the 2005 Ramey Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay(94 points by Robert Parker) and the 2005 Almaviva (95 points by the Wine Spectator). You get the picture...
Owner Jeff Wyatt prides himself on personal service, and if a customer cannot find that special bottle of wine on the shelves of Marche’ Bacchus, Jeff will make arrangements to acquire it. Jeff has an extensive background in wine, and was one of the founding members of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in Las Vegas, an international group supporting the understanding and appreciation of those great wines. He will also become a founding member of the Chevaliers du Tastevin Las Vegas, an internationally recognized group of Burgundy aficionados. The staff at Marche’ Bacchus includes at least three sommeliers.
Even with all this experience, the staff avoids “wine speak” to customers, and will gladly help all customers with their most basic questions about wine, and in selecting the right bottle for the occasion in any price range.
Marche’ Bacchus’ French Bistro restaurant really deserves a separate article on the restaurant page of this site, but in passing I should mention that it makes for an excellent place to have lunch or dinner. It provides seating inside or on the patio alongside the lake. During the winter months, the restaurant has heater lamps, a fireplace and outdoor enclosure to protect against the cool temperatures. The on site restaurant gives the patron a unique opportunity to shop for wines in the store, and to enjoy that same bottle moments later with gourmet food. For bottles purchased in the store, the restaurant charges only a nominal $10.00 corkage fee.
The store usually stages free wine tastings each Saturday between 11:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Typically, the distributor or winemaker shows up at these tastings to answer any questions concerning the wine. Wednesday and Friday evenings features jazz music on the patio deck overlooking the lake.
Occasionally, Marche Bacchus will host special events, such as the recent Tobin James wine dinner, Easter Sunday Brunch, and an annual New Years’ Eve wine dinner. Interested persons should call the store at (702)804-8008 or check the website at www.marchebacchus.com to ascertain a calendar of upcoming events.
Lakeside dining in the Bistro...
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