During a recent visit to Sin City, Las Vegas, I had the occasion of dining at Smith & Wollensky, that venerable New York steakhouse with outposts in several US cities. Known for their outstanding dry-aged Prime beef, steak just can’t get any better than this. I love their slogan, ‘If steak were a religion, this would be its Cathedral’. The Wine List holds its own - and I had a few wonderful bottles of mature Bordeaux over the years at the New York restaurant on Third and 49th, including a memorable bottle of Chateau Figeac from the landmark 1982 vintage. As I hastily perused down the list to satiate my thirst for a drink of that legendary Saint Emilion, I quickly realized that the selections were comprised of strictly American wines, with a focus on Napa Valley cabernets, merlots and pinot noirs. What happened?, I asked the sommerlier. He replied that Kevin Zraly, formerly of the famed Windows on the World Restaurant atop the World Trade Center, had joined Smith & Wollensky as its Wine Director and decided to feature strictly American wines because he strongly felt the best pairing for a juicy piece of rich, well-marbled rare beef was a New World cabernet with good backbone and fruit. Who is to argue with someone considered by many to be the finest wine educator on earth and author of the best selling book ‘Windows on the World Complete Wine Course’? Curious as to what the top customer favorites were, the sommelier rattled off the following names: Silver Oak, Caymus and Duckhorn. Well that’s three for three for The Wine Club, as we handle these fine wines on an exclusive basis for our market. As for my wine selection that evening to accompany the 32 ounce aged bone-in rib steak ( I did ask if they had an in-house paramedic), I chose a bottle of the Hyde de Villaine Carneros Red 2003, an exquisite blend of merlot and cabernet, featuring layers of flavors and earthy nuances all wrapped up in a silky-textured velvety package that unfolded beautifully in the glass.