Annual Grape Stomp a crushing success
Bare feet, sticky toes and plenty of laughter – this was the scene at Charleston Peak Winery last weekend as the highly-anticipated Grape Stomp made its triumphant return.
Hosted Saturday, October 10, the 2026 Grape Stomp saw a crowd of hundreds, both residents and out-of-town visitors, descend on the winery grounds for the day. Throughout the event, attendees were able to sip on adult beverages while lounging beneath the shade trees, listen to music, partake of food offerings and browse multiple vendor booths. But the most popular feature of the afternoon was undoubtedly the stomp, pitting teams of two against one another in a fast-paced competition to smash as much juice from a barrel of grapes as possible. All together, there were nearly 400 people who made the trip to Charleston Peak on Saturday and with such a strong turnout, Charleston Peak Winery General Manager Jennifer Sela Bowen said she was positively delighted with the day’s results.
“The event was a huge success,” Sela Bowen told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We maxed out on stomping teams, gave out trophies, had incredible costumes and there was a lot of great food. We had a massive turnout and lots of vendors selling their wares. We also debuted our Wine Society Garden for club members, where members could sit and mingle and enjoy prime views of the stomping and live music.”
This year, the competition ran a bit differently than it has in years past. Rather than allowing just one member of each team to stomp at one time, both were able to clamber into their barrels and get their feet covered in grape pulp. Sela Bowen reported that the 2026 event was so popular that demand for the stomp competition exceeded capacity, leading to a wait list, and all 24 teams that registered showed up to stomp.
Aside from the stomp, attendees sampled a wide variety of wines, including sparkling Moscato and Lambrusco, white sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and Riesling and red Barbera, cabernet and a blend called Ball Buster. This year, there were several craft beers from Las Vegas-based brewers featured, too, including Lovelady’s Paleo Porter, Neon Desert’s Neon Haze, Abel Baker’s Atomic Duck and Beer Zombies’ Broomstick Blood Orange Ale and Beer Zombies Brew. And following their round of tastings, attendees could also purchase glasses and bottles of their favorites.
Helping keep appetites satisfied, the Hookers Fish and Chips and Bash and Jas’s Tacos food trucks parked at the winery, serving up all kinds of tasty bites and plates to enjoy. For those with a sweet tooth, vendors’ row had tempting treats, along with arts and crafts, decorative items, holiday merchandise and much more.
“We had 28 vendors, most of whom are local to Pahrump, selling snacks and baked goods, jewelry, artwork, and a tarot card reader,” Sela Bowen detailed. “We received lots of positive feedback from media that attended, our Wine Society members and those that had never been to the winery before. Everyone is very excited and we are already planning our next Grape Stomp!”
Charleston Peak Winery is located at 3810 Winery Road and the tasting room is open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit CharlestonPeakWinery.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
