HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT - It was a mess on Basin Avenue wednesday when a load of Nevada Merlot from Pahrump Valley Winery slid off a traioler. No one was hurt, and much of the wine was recovered in unbroken bottles, however, in places, it looked as though a bloody battle had taken place.

Red wine makes a mess on Basin

By GINA B. GOOD

PVT

The heady smell of fine wine filled the air on Basin Street, in the vicinity of Humahuaca Street, on Wednesday after about 20 cases of Nevada merlot, produced by Pahrump Valley Winery from grapes grown in Amargosa Valley, spilled from a flat-bed trailer around noon.

As a small SUV hauling the wine from cold storage made a left-hand turn onto Basin Street, the load on the trailer shifted, causing part of it to shift and fall to the blacktop, which soaked up the rich, red wine. The cases were shrink-wrapped and tied to the trailer, which was piled high. Most of the cases stayed put. An unknown number of bottles were rescued unharmed.

Bill Loken, owner of the Pahrump Valley Winery, took the loss in stride. However, he lamented the loss because there weren’t many bottles of the 2008 vintage.

Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue personnel helped clean up the glass to prevent damage to tires and injury to pedestrians. The driver of the SUV sustained a minor cut.