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The WINE WRITER: George Medovoy
RUSTIC
ELEGANCE AND ATTENTION TO WINE
AT THE HYATT REGENCY LAKE TAHOE RESORT & CASINO
By George Medovoy
INCLINE VILLAGE, NEVADA -- Your choice of wine at the Hyatt
Regency Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino owes a good deal to the
creativity and experience of chief sommelier Robert Vicale.
"Our philosophy," he says, "is, simply stated, give the customer
what he
wants. Demographics show that 65% of our clientele come from the
San
Francisco Bay Area.
They are uninterested for the most part in European wines…and
very
interested in North American wines."
No matter what month of the year it may be, the Hyatt sells 70%
reds to
30% whites across the board, with its wines heavily weighted to
Napa and
Sonoma.
The whites move progressively from lighter to oakier and the reds
from
lighter to more tannic.
Vicale is particularly proud of the fact that his wine list also
includes
the names of the winemakers.
"We want to give credit, just as one does to a painter or a
sculptor,"
says the sommelier, who spent 16 years owning a Southern
California
restaurant until he came up here to retire - only to be pulled
back into the
business.
"And to think, all that time I was watching TV's famous "Bonanza,"
I would
never have associated fine wines with this dreamy spot just a few
blocks away
from the show's Ponderosa Ranch," he adds.
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is a splendid resort at Incline
Village on
Tahoe's North Shore. But after so many trips to "the lake," the
visit to the
Hyatt felt a lot more relaxed and comfortable than the South
Shore, with its
more fast-paced casino life, crowded traffic lanes, and people
seemingly
everywhere.
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe has been called "rustic elegance,"
and
rightly so. The pace here is a lot more like that of a traditional
mountain
resort…slower, more relaxed.
Not surprisingly, it reminded us of one of those other rustic
resorts,
built of sturdy timbers and textured leathers, which one finds up
in the
Canadian Rockies.
So if you long for the style of a 1920's alpine "grand lodge" -
built on
26 picturesque lakefront acres with river rock and cedar - we
think you'll
appreciate this classic Northern California resort.
But before we go on, let's get down to some other basics, like the
hammock on the way to the private beach.
I don't know about you, but I happen to love hammocks, and the
Hyatt has
a large one expertly crafted and tied to a couple of posts with
monster-sized
metal screws that look like they could withstand the deafening
sounds of the
prehistoric movements that shaped this magnificent valley.
Add to this, of course, the fact that the Hyatt is by the largest
alpine
lake in North America - 22 miles long, and 12 miles wide, with a
surface area
of 191.6 square miles, or 39.75 million gallons of water, enough
to cover the
entire state of California to a depth of 14 inches!
Now back to that hammock…
I tried it out and wound up falling asleep for a while in the
fresh
afternoon air, only to be awakened by a couple of chattering blue
birds. The
gentle swaying in the breeze does wonders for your senses.
I was in good company: Tahoe's most famous tourist, Mark Twain,
came up
here in 1861, while John Steinbeck discovered the Tahoe area as a
hotel
busboy during the 1920's.
When I got up, I decided to return to that wonderful hammock later
on,
but first… the Hyatt's private beach, with its very own pier and
deck chairs,
and boats bobbing in the water.
"What is life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and
stare," said
the author W.H. Davies.
The lake calls out to you to do just that - "to stand and stare."
Near
the shoreline, the water had an aqua color, but as the water
extends beyond
the boats and the pier and into its mysterious depths, it adds a
wide,
contrasting band of dark blue.
The helpful Hyatt crew will provide you with plenty of towels,
folding
beach chairs, large umbrellas, and even larger tent-like umbrellas
if you're
with a group.
I lay under an umbrella and looked out at the lake, wondering
where all
those south shore casinos were located, but we never could figure
that one
out. Instead, I just marveled at the expansive lake, glad I was in
this
peaceful spot, away from all the crowds.
There was snow on the tops of the mountain peaks, a hint of
Tahoe's
winter tourism side.
The folks at the Hyatt seem to have thought of everything: out on
the end
of the pier, they've placed some wooden deck chairs near a
telescope. A few
people were seated there, eyes focused on the horizon.
The pier is also a great place to have a picnic.
From the beach, it's also possible to book passage on various
sailing
vessels, including the 55-foot Sierra Cloud catamaran, or rent
items like jet
skis, kayaks, and powerboats. Sailing instruction is also
available. In early
autumn, boat rentals are available through the Hyatt's activities
desk.
A long, classic Chris Craft speedboat was anchored to the pier.
Two older
gentlemen were sitting on its deck, and I wondered how much they
paid for it
and what line of work they were in to afford it!
Right there on the beach, Hyatt has built The Lone Eagle Grille, a
restaurant with high-beamed ceiling and wide windows to look out
on the
water. It's a great place to have a drink at the bar at sunset or
enjoy a
full-course lunch or dinner.
It's only one of a number of restaurants to choose from here,
including,
in the rustic main lodge building, Cutthroat's Saloon, with an
eclectic menu,
live entertainment, sports TV…and a standing invitation to toss
your peanut
shells on the floor; the Sierra Café for casual meals and
impressive buffets;
and our favorite, Ciao Mein Trattoria, which blends Pacific Rim
specialties
and classic Italian dishes.
The choices of where to settle down for the night at the Hyatt
feature
interesting options, from the 24 lakeside cottages - each with a
big central
living room and, outside on the deck, Adirondack chairs to enjoy
the views --
to spacious guestrooms, ninth- through twelfth-floor suites, and
exclusive
Regency Club accommodations, all in the 12-story tower.
From a large, eleventh-floor Regency Room with an extra pullout
bed, the
afternoon light paints the Tahoe mountains in dappled shades of
yellow and
green.
In the Regency Club, Nell E. Bradshaw, the club's cheerful
manager, tells
a visitor: "We like to spoil people."
Bradshaw is a transplant to
the Tahoe
area and has come to really love the mountains. So enamored is she
of them
that she bought a plaque and affixed it to the wall: "Welcome to
the
Mountains," it says, reminding me of a trip to the Canadian
Rockies, only
this was California.
The Regency Club, for guests staying on upper Regency floors,
offers
complimentary newspapers, breakfast items and afternoon foods,
including
pastas and scrumptious desserts.
When all is said and done, you never really have to leave the
premises to
find enough to do here. One can even gamble, if you go in for it.
I'm not
much for gaming and would rather spend our time in the hammock or
in the
outdoor pool or Jacuzzi, enjoying a one of Vitale's California
reds.
But even the Hyatt's casino, in keeping with the more restful
atmosphere,
is without the crowds, the noise, or the smoke. This is civilized.
Come winter, the scene changes to white. You can put away your
golf clubs
and get out your skis -- you're halfway between Heavenly and Squaw
Valley and
15 downhill resorts.
It's all my kind of Tahoe.
IF YOU GO…
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe is located at Incline Village,
Nevada. For
more information, call (800) 553-3288, or visit www.laketahoehyatt.com.
The hotel also features a health club and spa with a variety of
facials,
body treatments, and massages, including après ski massages. Camp
Hyatt is a
supervised program on the premises for children 3-12.
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