For Dylan Amos—sommelier for Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian—drinking wine is more than just drinking wine. “There’s nothing better than sharing a good wine with good people; that’s part of the magic,” he says. “It creates moments. It freezes time. It’s preserved in amber in your memories.”
And Amos serves as the gatekeeper to the 2,600 labels—ranging in price from $25 to $52,000—at Emeril Lagasse’s Las Vegas steakhouse. He joined the restaurant in 2015 but started working for the celebrity chef’s empire back in 2012 in Charlotte, N.C. But before that, Amos got into the food and beverage industry more than two decades ago—starting as a dishwasher simply to pay bills while he was going to college to study film and English. “I ended up falling in love with the service industry,” he says. “I realized that even though I was going after heady academic pursuits, I really liked working on my feet and with my hands.”
Over the years, Amos climbed the ladder and moved into management at various restaurants in North Carolina, where he grew up, and in Portland, Ore., where he lived for a few years, eventually moving more toward a sommelier position. He came to Vegas after Emeril’s restaurant in Charlotte closed to take a floor manager position, but quickly began to handle wine for the restaurant.
“It happened lighting fast—at the speed of Vegas is how I always like to say it,” he says. “I feel like I’ve accidentally ended up exactly where I belong. I didn’t get into this industry with a plan to be here in Vegas—I just wanted to pay bills and get through college; then it steamrolled. I didn’t even have wine till I was 29 years old. It’s just such a collection of things that happened. Now I’m here at Delmonico, this incredible restaurant in Las Vegas. People come here for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I want to give that to them.”
Libation: Penfolds Bin 60A
This incredibly rare wine is a perfect example of the special collection at Delmonico Steakhouse. The Australian wine, a cabernet shiraz, pairs well with any of the restaurant’s steaks. “The wine represents what a great library we have, and it’s a way to try something extraordinary and special,” Amos says. “With our 2,600 labels, it’s an international list designed to reflect the world of wine. But our California cabernet is 100% the heart of our program with 700 labels.”
Benefit: For an exclusive dining experience, ask about the Private Chef’s Table—a look into the magic that happens in the kitchen.
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