Las Vegas — SOMMELIER Darren Lutz could have moved anywhere in the world for his next job after Bastide temporarily closed its doors in January, but he headed for Las Vegas. Opportunities for sommeliers are everywhere in this neon-lighted, restaurant-rich corner of the Nevada desert.
But there's a catch, Lutz discovered, as have dozens of sommeliers before him. Vegas is a tough place to make a name for yourself. Sure, sommeliers make double the money they can elsewhere, but they may never be heard of again.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday September 12, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 26 words Type of Material: Correction
Sommelier: In a Sept. 6 Food section article on Las Vegas sommeliers, Stuart Roy was identified as a master sommelier. He has not achieved that certification.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday September 13, 2006 Home Edition Food Part F Page 3 Features Desk 0 inches; 24 words Type of Material: Correction
Sommelier: In a Sept. 6 article on Las Vegas sommeliers, Stuart Roy was identified as a master sommelier. He has not achieved that certification.
Why? Because as they strive to develop wine lists that measure up to the world-class food now being served in the city, sommeliers face serious obstacles unique to Vegas' wine culture. They are discovering that they must challenge the distribution system and an old-boy business culture even as the laws of Nevada add to the difficulty of doing their jobs.
Multi-million-dollar wine shipments being turned away at the door, rumors of reprisals against those who dare to go around a behemoth distributor, sommeliers denied access to the wines they want -- these are signs of the difficulties Las Vegas sommeliers face.
Lutz landed a job with Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand, one of the town's most exclusive dining rooms. He's thrilled with the Vegas wine community and has found serious tasting groups, study sessions with veteran sommeliers and the help he needs to make his next big step: passing the master sommelier exam.
"The master sommeliers in this community are mentoring the young soms," Lutz says. "They give back. They teach."
The sommelier community in Las Vegas is big and rich. The demand for wine pros soared as the city evolved into the world's most extraordinary culinary tourist attraction, with more than 30 restaurants boasting connections to celebrity chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Alain Ducasse opening in the last decade. A sommelier is the wine conscience of a serious restaurant. He or she knows the chef's cuisine and develops a wine cellar to complement it. Sommeliers buy the wine, tracking down difficult-to-obtain bottles at auction or from collectors. Part of the daily routine is to sample dozens of wines, searching for new stars.
In Las Vegas, sommeliers can take home $100,000 a year, twice the paycheck they would receive in San Francisco or Los Angeles. Wine directors managing the cellars for well-known restaurants or hotels earn as much as $150,000.
The master class
