THE SWEET ESCAPE
The Hotel on Mt. Charleston offers a weekend away with wine, lodging and more
BY DAVID HIMMEL

Images that used to come to mind when thinking of Mt. Charleston included icy ski runs and a dumpy lodge with impossible food. But still, the area serves as a summertime retreat from the often painful Las Vegas heat.

These days, there�s a new reason to take the quick, scenic drive up U.S. 95, south on State Route 157 and to The Hotel on Mt. Charleston. (It is important to note that The Hotel is not in any way associated with the lodge farther up the road.) 

Under new partnerships, The Hotel on Mt. Charleston is looking to redefine itself and draw a new clientele to its hospitable mountain getaway with a monthly wine tasting affair called Chill.

�The idea came about so we could build excitement about the Hotel and attract a different crowd,� said The Hotel on Mt. Charleston�s Marketing Coordinator Shana Dahan.

Dahan and her sister, Michelle, Director of Weddings and Special Events, created Chill as a draw away from Las Vegas, an escape from the usual Valley happenings.

�We�d like people to come up here, enjoy the evening, spend the night, wake up and go hiking. This is much different from The Strip and its casinos,� Shana said.

Last month was the premier, which featured several wines from California�s J. Lohr Estates. Being the involved wine columnist, I threw my nose and taste buds into several of their wines including the 2002 Carol�s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Los Osos Merlot and the 2005 Riverstone Chardonnay. I wasn�t impressed. Each mostly tasted like alcohol.

I know, I know. It�s booze and should taste like alcohol. But there�s something to be said about a wine that has the flavors of its grape, or the wooden barrel it was fermented in, or even the dirt the vines grew from. All three of these wines lacked luster and left me pining more for the Southwestern egg rolls at the food table than the wine. 

But the featured wine provided tasteful relief: Spanish winemaker Vina Salceda Crianza�s Bodegas Julian Chivite. Its mazuelo and graciano grapes come from Rojas Alavesa, a premier wine-making region in Spain.

This Spanish wine was a solid choice, as it is quite delicious � rich and smooth with no overwhelming sense of alcohol.

And to go with the featured Spanish wine was a fun little trio called Karma playing salsa music. They�ve been playing the Las Vegas lounge circuit for a few years and were welcomed at Chill. 

As part of the package, and because getting wrecked on wine and driving curvy mountain roads is rarely a good idea, The Hotel on Mt. Charleston offers special room rates. For example, you can stay in the Presidential Suite, which usually runs $400 a night, for less than $200. And many of their rooms are undergoing � or have completed � a renovation.

This month, the Dahan sisters are hosting Chill with wine from the Michael David Winery out of the Lodi-Woodbridge region of California. They�ll be featuring their Seven Deadly Zins wine. It melds the best of seven different growers from Lodi and can certainly give a saint a reason to sin. Music will be provided by Tommy Thompson, a renowned smooth-jazz saxophonist who developed quite the following when playing regularly at Lake Las Vegas. 

�Each month we�ll have a different theme,� Shana said. �We�ll feature different wines, different music and different food. Eventually, we�d like to build it so we host a music fest with wine and tons of delicious food.�

All the wines tasted at Chill are served at A Cut Above Steakhouse in the hotel, so you can test drive, then go ahead and buy a featured wine with a fantastic filet riding shotgun at dinner. Besides, there�s nothing quite like mountain air to aid a buzz or diminish a hangover.