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Wine Amplified’s rosy new blend: The fest amps up its music (and F&B) lineup

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Passion Pit plays Wine Amplified Friday night.
Jason Nocito

“We don’t like people who are snobby about their wine,” Rock ’n Roll Wine founder Chris Hammond says. “That’s something that we always want to make sure we do, as far as our representation, our branding—take away the snobbery.”

This weekend the company will do just that at its annual Wine Amplified music festival, inviting oenophiles and wine novices alike to sample more than 150 varieties of fermented grapes—all while getting down to some live tunes. This year, the two-day music lineup is decidedly amped up, with popular acts like Passion Pit, Panic! At the Disco, 50 Cent and Sublime with Rome headlining. “We said, let’s really look at this like we’re curating a major music festival,” Hammond says.

In past years RNRW billed well-known acts like Train and Blink-182 to headline, but opted to “save some money and fill some people in” for lower-tier bookings. But not only is this year’s roster decked out with notables, it’s also extremely eclectic, from alt-rock (Cold War Kids) and soul-pop (Fitz and the Tantrums) to electronic (Robert DeLong) and the previously mentioned hip-hop titan. “We’re going to have 50 Cent at a wine tasting,” Hammond says. “That’s going to be amazing.”

Such diversity carries through the F&B selection, with not just wine samples, but also a craft beer garden, a New Amsterdam-branded “speakeasy” and small bites from local food trucks and restaurants. “It’s about introducing something new, a new experience,” Hammond says. “Plus we want to get a nice little wine buzz.”

Wine Amplified October 9, 5 p.m.; October 10, 4:30 p.m.; $59-$139/day; $109-$249 two-day. Las Vegas Village, wineamplified.com.

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