A Wine Cellar, Tropical Lounge, English Pub, and More Restaurants Are Opening at the Rio - Eater Vegas
"The return of the Wine Cellar gives passionate oenophiles in search of hard-to-find wines a place to nest. It first opened in 1997 and, in its heyday, the Wine Cellar stored a museum-like collection of rare vintages worth more than $2.2 million. Heads of state were known to huddle in the private room and guests would routinely pop in and casually buy a $10,000 bottle of wine, sip and savor it in the basement confines, and then perhaps have another shipped home. The Cellar closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Hung Nguyen has run the place for 17 years and knows every inch of the Tuscany-inspired room — all the original stone of the cave-like space was imported from Italy. He developed the wine and spirit tastings and paired them with charcuterie plates and fancy cheeses like a French Brie, creamy Camembert, and Hook’s 12-year-aged cheddar. The Wine Cellar is an experience. Surrounded by stone walls, sipping everything from everyday wines to ultra-expensive vintages, it’s easy to forget where you are and melt into the experience of living in the Tuscan hills. While Nguyen has wine, whiskey, bourbon, tequila, and rum tasting menus at the ready; he’s often happy to tailor a tasting to the whims of an individual guest. And for those who want to dine as well as sip, the Wine Cellar hosts three-course wine dinners by partnering with VooDoo Steak and the Rio’s other restaurants. In a return to form, guests can purchase bottles or cases of wine to be shipped home to them." - Ryan Slattery
