Bringing back the Grape Stomp
An event that was once a highly-anticipated tradition of the harvest season will soon be making its return after a five-year hiatus.
Sanders Family Winery is reviving the annual Grape Stomp and there’s little doubt that the community will be thrilled to see the renewal of this festive celebration.
The Grape Stomp got its start in 2003 at the Pahrump Valley Winery, which was founded by Jack Sanders and later sold to Bill and Gretchen Loken. The autumn-time festival quickly became a much-anticipated part of the area’s annual events calendar but it hasn’t been held in several years now.
The last official “Grape Stomp” under the Lokens was held in 2018 and the following year, under then-owner Kathy Trout, it was rebranded as “Stomp-a-palooza”. Trout, entangled in legal battles, eventually lost the winery and the Grape Stomp has not been held since the 2019 event, until now.
Set for this weekend, the 2024 Grape Stomp will take place over three days and include the always-popular stomping competition, along with awards for stomping style and best costume and of course, free wine tastings in which adult attendees can indulge.
As Sanders Family Winery is home to the Betsy Sanders Theater for the Performing Arts, named in honor of Sanders’ late wife, the Grape Stomp will also incorporate evening concerts from two bands regularly featured at the winery. The concerts, which come at a cost, will start at dusk, with Deja Vu scheduled on Friday, Oct. 11 and Soul Town taking to the stage on Saturday, Oct. 12. Tickets are $25.
The Grape Stomp competition will take place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 and 13, beginning at noon. Teams of two will work together to extract the liquid of plump, juicy grapes, with one squashing the fruit with their feet while the other works to assist in keeping the spout at the bottom of the barrel clog-free and flowing. It’s a fast and furious activity that regularly evokes laughter and cheers of support for the contestants.
“Bring the family and either join the Grape Stomp competition or just be a spectator as the stomping begins!” Sanders Family Winery encourages. “Both will be a blast.”
The 2024 Grape Stomp will kick off Friday, Oct. 11 with the Deja Vu evening concert and continue through Sunday, Oct. 13 at Sanders Family Winery, 3780 E. Kellogg Road.
For more information call 775-727-1776.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
How the competition works
Here are the rules for this year's Grape Stomp competition:
■ Pre-registration is required.
■ The cost to participate is $40 per team.
■ Eight teams can compete at a time in each heat.
■ Teams of two will stomp a point of grapes with the goal of extracting as much juice as possible.
■ Children may stomp but must be accompanied by their parent(s).
■ Winning teams are awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in each heat.
■ Bonus points may be awarded for stomping style and costumes.
■ All participants receive a free Grape Stomp souvenir.
