Winewench and I attended the grand opening of Total Wine & More’s first store in the Las Vegas area.

Located at 730 S. Rampart Blvd in the Boca Park Complex, Total Wine & More is a nationwide wine and spirits warehouse chain.

As part of their grand opening, they are having a large wine, beer and spirits tasting session this entire weekend (03/05/10 – 03/07/10).

We got there at about 2 pm, and the place was packed. They were sampling about 25 wines, 15 beers and 7 spirits. The wines ranged in price from about $7 a bottle to about $50 a bottle. I was pleased to see some higher-end wines being sampled, as I’m not willing to buy higher-priced wines unless I know I like it. As it was, we picked up three very nice ’07 Pinot Noirs, one from ZD Wines, one from Bogle, and Meiomi, a Belle Glos “second tier” selection.

Winewench loves Belgian Ales, and was very happy with the New Belgium Brewing Company Abbey a Belgian Style Ale that comes in single-serving bottles. I on the other hand went straight for the Samuel Adams Noble Pils.

Total Wine & More also offers a large selection (they claim 1000 or more) of beer available by the bottle, with a discount when buying a mixed six-pack. We snagged some Fuller’s ESB and London Pride, but the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA was on backorder.

Overall we were very impressed with the setup, the customer service, and most importantly the price. We will definitely be going back, and are waiting for the promised store to open up in our neck of the woods. Until then, it’s worth the drive.

...And This Is Why We Drink™