Matteo's

 

Matteo’s, Las Vegas

Robert Tas
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to CorkRules, the wine app and podcast that's here to help you navigate all your favorite restaurant wine lists. I'm your host, Robert TAS, along with Maria Valletta, wine educator and certified sommelier, also better known as Maria the wine blonde on Instagram. Welcome back, Maria.

Maria Valetta
Well, hello, Robert. Today we're talking about a northern Italian favorite in Las Vegas, aren't we?

Robert Tas
We sure are. That's true. Today we're highlighting the wine list at Mateo's restaurante, located, of course, in Restaurant Row at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in beautiful Las Vegas. Restaurant tour Mateo Ferdanindi and chef Ariana set out to create an approachable dining experience. And you can be sure there's something for everyone on this Northern Italian food menu. Don't miss the delicate homemade pasta dishes that are the favorites amongst the power lunch crowd and a dinner, and you can expect to see dozens of small plates being passed at the table's, family style. Maria, this place sounds like an amazing dining experience. My kind of place. How does this wine list stack up for you?

Maria Valetta
This list, actually, Robert, has so many lovely indigenous Italian varietals on it. Definitely exceeded my expectations. It's going to be a perfect companion to the food, and I can happily say there are plenty of options that are reasonably priced. So I love this list. And also, you should know that they offer a corkage fee where you're welcome to bring in your own wines as long as they're not on their present wine list. So for $40 a bottle, that gives you even more options. Another thing us winos love.

Robert Tas
I love that. I love that you can check the list and see if it's on the Cork Rules app. Well, that's a plus. Sometimes you just have to bring that special bottle from home that you want to share with all your loved ones.

Maria Valetta
That's right. And we bring a wine when we can, and normally we also order a bottle at the restaurant, so then this way we're supporting the restaurant, too. I feel like that's really good etiquette when you can do that.

Robert Tas
And I always say that you got to tip on both bottles because the servers do great jobs, and we want to make sure, like you said, support them.

 

Maria Valetta
I agree. They are doing the work and pouring it for you. They don't just stick it on the table and have you do it yourself.

Robert Tas
Exactly. So, all right, how does this place wines by the glass stack up?

Maria Valetta
So this is a place where you don't have to order by the bottle, especially if you're at the bar by yourself, because the Bly, the glass options are interesting enough. And standouts for me are the Riviera Liguori di Ponente. So this is from Ligoria, Italy, where you find that beautiful region of Portofino. Yeah. And Pagato is a white wine that's all about this kind of floral and fruit aromas with a slightly rich texture. So try it with the sepia, which is the grilled baby calamari with the Calabrian pepper crema. I love that dish. Now, if you can't help yourself and go straight to the pasta here, because you're going to see these pasta dishes just, like, zooming by you, and you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm definitely going for the pasta, and that's my first course, and it's worth every calorie here. Then this duo with a pairing is going to be fantastic. The Piedmontesi pasta, which is the braised beef short rib annulote with a Nebbiolo reduction. And then the 2018 Valtiglione, Piemonte, Italy. This is a buy the glass wine. And it's so great to see this Nebbiolo based wine and then pairing it with a sauce that's made with Nebbiolo.

Robert Tas
I love it. I love it. I can't agree more. When you have a grape specific wine sauce, it makes so much sense to order a glass by the same type of wine to go with that meal.

Maria Valetta (03:26)
Yeah, it's like when I'm cooking, I throw a splash in my cooking while I'm drinking my wine. It's perfection together.

 

Robert Tas
I like it. I like it. All right, so how about those wines by the bottle? You said there was quite a few reasonably priced. Why don't you select a few value ones for us?

Maria Valetta
All right, now, if you want to start with bubbles, then I recommend the Franciacorta - Ferghettina, “brut”, Lombardia, Italy. It's a dry style, champagne style, made sparkling from Lombardia, Italy.. Everybody knows that. And then for whites, definitely go with the 2020 Arneis Roagna, Piemonte, Italy One of my favorite interesting Italian grape varieties. Now, for reds, on the lighter body side, I would check out the 2015 Piedirosso, Kerres, “I Pentri”, Campania, Italy. So Pierre Roso is native to campagna. That's the area where you'll find the town of Positano. There's very little of this grape grown in Italy, so this is a gem to find on a list here. It's easy drinking. It's a bright red, it's fresh, and it's amazing.

Robert Tas
Amazing. Any Barolos Barbaresco's on that list that are wallet friendly.

Maria Valetta
Wallet friendly. Barolo. Barbaresco. Funny. No, actually, though, if you like those wines, rollo and barbaresco, but not the prices that come with them, then try this, the - cascina chicco “ginestra”, piemonte, italy 2015 Now, this is made from the same grape, so it's still Nebbiolo, but younger vines on average age of about 20 years. So you'll still get this, like, violet and brightness and cherries and tar and spice, but they do less time of maceration, so four to five days versus about 15 for the barolo and less time aging overall. So it will be less tanic, but then therefore easier to drink young like this and definitely better priced.

 

Robert Tas
I like that. I like that. All right, forget price. We want to celebrate something big. We want to ball out. What do you got?

Maria Valetta
Okay, well, then you have to start with champagne. You just have to and they have one of my favorite producers, Pierre Peters. They have les Chatillon’s “brut cuvee speciale”, le Mesnil sur Oger, France special from Le Manels de OJ. And this is a 2010 vintage champagne. Champagne is the way to go, right?

Robert Tas
Always.

Maria Valetta
If you're balling out, I like that.

Robert Tas
You can't go wrong with that. All right, so we got our champagne toast out of the way. How about maybe an old world and a New World red to get us going?

Maria Valetta
That's a good idea, actually. And this may be the time to drop some dough on some Barolo. So I would recommend the Mascarello Montprivato Barolo from Piedmont. 2013, a great year for Barolo. And then in the new world, cali would be the way to go with the Crutz Beckstaffer, George II Vineyard, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018. Think like sexy Rutherford Dust famous vineyard here. And 2018 is actually fairly easy. Drinking a luscious vintage. Everyone I've had of 2018 hasn't been overly tanic, it's just been really easy to drink. But I would have them decant this one for about an hour ahead of time and then pair it with meat. So the Anielo, which is the seared Australian lamb chops with rosemary and red wine reduction, that's going to be the good pairing to pick for the end of the meal.

 

Robert Tas
That's an amazing tasty pairing to end on. Thank you so much, Maria, for exploring the wine list of Mateo's Restaurante Italiano in Las Vegas with us today. Thank you, everyone, for joining us here on Cork Rules. Of course, you can find more wine tips for Maria on Instagram at maria the Wine Blonde. And of course, remember our only rule is to drink what you love.

Maria Valetta
It's here. The CorkRules. App. Download it for free today from the app store so you can browse restaurant wine lists, connect with your friends and start drinking wines you love. Have a favorite wine list? Let us review it here. Send us your request at info at. You can find previous episodes on your favorite podcast platform and on the CorkRules app. Be sure to follow Cork Rules on Instagram for episode updates, prices, inspections subject to change. Please drink responsibly.