At great day at the Grape Stomp

A longstanding icon in the community, the old Pahrump Valley Winery reopened this summer as Charleston Peak Winery and though the name may have changed, with the help of fellow local winery Artesian Cellars, Charleston Peak is continuing one of the old vineyard’s most popular public events.

This past Saturday, Oct. 18, the Grape Stomp made its triumphant return to its former home and hundreds of people, both residents and out-of-towners visiting specifically for the event, turned out for a full day of music, food, vendors and of course, plenty of wine sipping. Event organizers said the Grape Stomp was a huge success and they are already looking forward to next year.

“The event turned out wonderfully!” Charleston Peak Winery General Manager Jenn Sela Bowen told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We had vendors who said this was their most successful event of the year, our Wine Society members were thrilled to be invited, guests were happy with the offerings and we were able to showcase every single wine made in Southern Nevada, all under one tent!”

Grape Stomp-goers were able to taste from a wide selection of wines from both Artesian Cellars and Charleston Peak Winery, with 18 selections from the former and another nine from the latter available for sipping. “We had a combination of whites, reds and rosés to choose from, including both single-variety wines and blends,” Sela Bowen detailed.

But it wouldn’t be a true Grape Stomp without some fast-paced squishing competition and there were several rounds of stomping scheduled throughout the afternoon, eliciting cheers and shouts of encouragement from the watching crowd. There was a full complement of Grape Stomp competitors this year, with all 24 available team slots filled. Coming out on top was Encamacio Carey’s Team while Janvier Rabaca’s team took second and Alice Saitta’s team, made up of her two granddaughters, squished enough grape juice to earn third. Taking home honors for best costume of the day were Charleston Peak Wine Society members Bob and Amber Lugo.

Aside from all of the wine and stomping fun, Grape Stomp attendees were able to enjoy the offerings of popular local food truck Pete’s Meats and Treats. Rick Scanlan and Ali Murphy rocked the stage with live performances and Ruh Roh Music kept the tunes going in between stomping contests and there were a variety of vendors to browse, including Willa’s Sweet Treats, Sprinkled With Words, Makers Market with Turtle, Embody(e) with Rian, Sharon’s Collectables, NY New You Salon, Sherri’s Tarot Readings, Desert Delights, Jeanine’s Kitchen, The Tumbler Lady, The Pahrump Alien Guy, Rachel’s Design, Cottage Designs and Wagon Wheel Ranch.

This year’s event was billed as the 17th Annual Grape Stomp, with Sela Bowen noting that this was a salute to the former owners who built the Pahrump Valley Winery into a renowned business and launched the event in the first place.

“This event was started by Bill and Gretchen Loken, the former owners of Pahrump Valley Winery. We wanted to pick it back up where they left off and we hope we lived up to their tradition!” Sela Bowen explained. “We’ve had all positive feedback from our regular customers, guests visiting from out of town and locals. Our vendors were happy, our employees enjoyed working the event and even Sheriff Joe McGill was able to participate in the stomp and had a blast! We can’t wait to do it again next year, with more vendors, more food and more fun.”

Charleston Peak Winery is located at 3810 Winery Road and is open Thursday through Monday from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information visit CharlestonPeakWinery.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com