VIEW FILE PHOTOSonny Barton, left, and Chris Hammond partnered to match great wines with great music. Their company, Rock ’n’ Roll Wine, will host the second annual Wine Amplified Festival, a wine-tasting event, this weekend at Mandalay Bay Beach.
VIEW FILE PHOTOSonny Barton, left, and Chris Hammond partnered to match great wines with great music. Their company, Rock ’n’ Roll Wine, will host the second annual Wine Amplified Festival, a wine-tasting event, this weekend at Mandalay Bay Beach.
Advertisement
Wine enthusiast Chris Hammond had long suspected that the fusion of a smooth merlot and a Marvin Gaye tune might create an atmosphere where wine tasting could be taken to the next level, but he didn't believe that the idea would become so popular so quickly.
Hammond and business partner Sonny Barton started Rock 'n Roll Wine, a Las Vegas-based company, almost three years ago. With a knack for pairing the personality of a wine with great music, Hammond and Barton have gone from holding weekly tastings in a private setting to preparing for the second annual Wine Amplified Festival, to be held this weekend at Mandalay Bay Beach.
The festival will feature more than 120 wines from 50 international wineries, combined with the music of a multiplatinum band, Sugar Ray.
"Essentially, when you buy your ticket, you will get a wine glass and its yours to sample and fill throughout the evening," Hammond said. "But more than that, we want everyone to know that it's OK to ask questions. That's part of the theory behind Rock 'n Roll Wine. We believe that in this setting, people feel more at ease and comfortable asking questions that they might feel a little sheepish about asking otherwise."
The evening also will include an after-party, where guests will continue libation and conversation.
"It's just a fun opportunity to socialize and learn about wine," Barton said.
When the pair first began holding wine parties at Hammond's home, they brainstormed themes for each event, ranging from Hippie Night -- where Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix music accompanied an earthy wine -- to Big Hair '80s Night.
"We would always have the music up really loud and people would talk about the wines, the flavors, the textures, and how they liked the pairing," Barton said.
"We started with just a few people, and when word got out, we were having to cap the number of people allowed," Hammond said. "That's when we realized that we were really onto something."
While the duo realizes that not everybody has a nose for wine, they encourage anyone with an interest in having fun to attend Wine Amplified.
"You will be surprised how it's not just about the wine, although that's certainly a huge part of what we do," Hammond said. "But, really, it's about good times with good people and learning something you didn't know this morning."
The Wine Amplified Festival will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $70 and can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
