RUSTIC ELEGANCE AND ATTENTION TO WINE AT THE HYATT REGENCY LAKE TAHOE RESORT & CASINO - Wine Love
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The WINE WRITER: George Medovoy RUSTIC ELEGANCE AND ATTENTION TO WINE AT THE HYATT REGENCY LAKE TAHOE RESORT & CASINO 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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