Las Vegas Weekly

November 20, 2008 · 7:32 AM

Morning Call: Lance Bass turns Strip’s Eiffel Tower red for new wine harvest

By Robin Leach

Lance Bass, Yann Bourigault and crew celebrate the new Beaujolais wine.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

It was a two-continent countdown using planning with military precision -- and Dancing With the Stars finalist Lance Bass was right at the center of it!

The wine harvest was just six weeks ago. The new Beaujolais wines arrived from Paris, France, a day ago, and the cases were transported yesterday to our local distributor. Then in a scene right out of 007 James Bond, a Stars and Stripes helicopter gingerly maneuvered between the Strip’s skyscrapers.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Lance Bass poses at an easily recognizable Strip resort visage.

For the first time in history, the chopper picked its way over the back roofs of Paris Las Vegas and set down exactly at 11:59 p.m. on the closed-off forecourt area by the Arc de Triomphe entranceway. The airlift was a success -- and right on time!

As the seconds ticked down for former ’N Sync pop star Lance Bass, two can-can girls high-heeled it to the helicopter, retrieved the two first magnum bottles of the beauj and ran back to the main stage set up on the Strip outside the casino’s Ah Sin restaurant. Winemaker Georges Duboeuf’s export director, Yann Bourigault, had flown in from France to uncork the first magnums!

Then exactly at 12:01 this morning, Lance poured the first glass, made a toast and flipped the switch to turn Paris’ 50-story authentic, architecturally reproduced replica of the Eiffel Tower red.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Lance Bass -- cheers!

Lance told me: “It’s the first time I’ve done something like this -- and I’ve never had Beaujolais before. It’s a great excuse to get to Vegas because I love this city so much. I don’t really need an excuse to get here, but doing it this way is fun -- and I’m all about fun.

“I had four hours of grueling rehearsals Wednesday, and we’ll have five more hours when I get back today (Thursday). I didn’t land here until 7:30 p.m., but I had to stop in and see Marie Osmond backstage. I wanted some help and advice from her before Monday’s finals show.

Photo: Flamingo Las Vegas

Lance Bass has a backstage briefing with Marie Osmond.

“She told me to ‘suck it up’ and ‘forget the aches and pains.’ Marie gave me a good-luck doll of hers and a couple of gifts for Brooke and Warren to hex them! She also warned me ‘not to faint’ like she did when she danced on the show!”

This was only the second annual Beaujolais Nouveau gala in Las Vegas in the 26 years the harvest has been celebrated in America with long-standing events in New York and Los Angeles. Honoring the long tradition regulated by French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is released no sooner than the third Thursday of November, when it is ready for consumption just six weeks after the harvest. Thus within 60 seconds after midnight, huge celebrations are held all over the world to taste the latest wine of the 2008 gathering of the grapes.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Lance Bass arrives at Paris Las Vegas.

Begun as a local ritual in bistros and bars across the Beaujolais region and the city of Lyon, France, in the 1930s, Beaujolais Nouveau has inspired a worldwide festival proclaiming the wine's arrival, with special deliveries via everything from elephants and motorcycles, coupled with music, dancing and revelry.

Made from 100 percent Gamay grapes -- known for their robust fruit flavor and low tannins -- Beaujolais Nouveau is light-bodied, fruity in quality and fresh on the palate. Harvested in Beaujolais, an area of west-central France just south of the Burgundy wine region, Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be enjoyed young. The winemakers suggest that vintages should be consumed by the May following its release.

By yesterday more than 2 million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau had made their way to America both by air and sea. When the shipments are completed over the next few months, more than 65 million bottles -- nearly half the region’s total annual production -- will be imbibed around the world, including Las Vegas.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

Lance shares a moment -- and a glass of wine -- with Robin Leach.

Popping the cork on its second annual Beaujolais Nouveau event, Vegas’ version of the City of Lights the Paris Las Vegas will begin a weekend of merriment that includes uncorking ceremonies, complimentary tastings of this year’s vintage and special events. The four-day celebration also features unique Beaujolais Nouveau wine-pairing menus at Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Les Artistes Steakhouse and Mon Ami Gabi, presented by the wine’s producer Georges Duboeuf. Since he began in 1964, Duboeuf now has his wines sold in 120 countries across the globe.

The unique tower-lighting ceremony by Lance took place at the base of the tower just 36 hours after he and partner Lacey Schwimmer were voted into next Monday’s finals on the hit ABC show. Lance received the first bottle from the first case of Beaujolais Nouveau delivered by the chopper.

Paris President Marilyn Winn had hoped this celebration would become an annual event since starting it last year -- and it looks like it’s now set for the yearly calendar. “We are thrilled to join wine lovers around the globe to celebrate the arrival of the new Beaujolais. Our annual event is like St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago and Chinese New Year’s in San Francisco.”

Last year, at the first Vegas celebration of the Beaujolais Nouveau, then Dancing With the Stars contestant Jennie Garth did the honors. Her dance partner, former Vegas resident Derek Hough, is partnered with Brooke Burke -- also on next Monday’s finals going up against rivals Lance and Lacey and Super Bowl champion Warren Sapp and pro partner Kym Johnson.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

The replica Eiffel Tower turns a real red.

I talked with Lance about the challenges and emotions he’ll face in just 120 hours’ time at the DWTS finals. He said they will have to perform three dances then -- and they get to welcome Vegas resident Toni Braxton back to the special broadcast. We’ll have that full interview Monday morning, so click back here then.

Suffice for now to say that Lance revealed: “I never thought we’d get this far. I thought we were getting eliminated each week from the very first week because we were always in the bottom two until two weeks ago. My body aches. I’m in pain. It’s so much tougher than I ever thought. I’ve got fractures in my feet. My toe is busted. The cortisone shots help, but literally my feet are killing me.”

Win or lose come Monday, Lance said he’s signed on for the “Dancing With the Stars” Tour for two months and will be dancing here with Toni in Vegas on New Year’s Eve.

— From Vegas Deluxe

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