50°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

New wine tasting destination to open in Pahrump

A new wine tasting room is heading to Pahrump.

Pahrump resident and area businessman Tim Burke, owner of the tasting room, is working to open his new space in the coming months. The future tasting room for wine lovers will sit at 1731 S. Highway 160, just north of Calvada Boulevard.

Burke, owner of Artesian Cellars LLC, said he is working on getting the liquor license approved, which could occur at the end of the month or in early January.

Once things get rolling, the tasting room will be open seven days a week.

“We really want to appeal to locals as much as possible,” Burke said.

The tasting room will offer wine selections from Burke’s own labels: Artesian Cellars, Wild West and Battle Born.

The local entrepreneur is currently working on upgrading what was once a 2,700-square-foot model home/real estate office. Burke said the space has been zoned commercial for about 20 years.

Once in operation, the tasting room will be able to handle more than a dozen people inside. The tasting room will also have an outdoor area with seating where patrons can check out the mountain views and desert sunsets.

Guests of the tasting room can also grab a few snacks during their visit.

“We’ll provide a limited amount of food items, mostly charcuterie type items, cheese and crackers type stuff,” Burke said.

The tasting room is only part of Burke’s plan to expand the wine industry in the Pahrump area, where two other wineries are already operating – Sanders Family Winery and the Pahrump Valley Winery.

Burke is already planning for next year’s planting season on a five-acre parcel that he is leasing; that property sits on the north side of Highway 160, just south of the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club.

For next spring, Burke said he will plant vines on one of those acres.

The following year, Burke is planning on planting on an additional acre of land, “And probably that next year, or the year after, we will build a production building there, because we’re going to need more room.”

Burke said the space they’ve leased for the upcoming tasting room is big enough for now, but he might outgrow it in terms of production.

Burke wanted to put the tasting room on his five acres, but he ran into a few roadblocks.

“The county said you can plant your vines, you can build a production building, you can do whatever you want on the dirt road,” he said. “But if you want to open a tasting room, you have to have a paved road with paved parking…”

In the future, “two to three years down the road,” Burke said he’ll be able to open a tasting room on his five-acre parcel.

In the meantime, Burke will be able to open his tasting room along the highway.

“A winery right on 160,” he said. “It’s not a fast-food place, gas station, a small mom and pop. It’s a very nice place that people will see when they drive by. We’re very optimistic that it’s going to do very well.”

Burke has been growing grapes in Nevada for the last several years and finished a harvest this fall.

For more information on Burke’s line of wines or timelines for the tasting room, check his Artesian Cellars website at artesiancellars.com

Burke is a non-staff columnist for the Pahrump Valley Times.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com, On Twitter at MeehanLv

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Beatty riled by sheriff’s substation closure

Lone staffer will be relocated to Pahrump to help with workload there; be onsite in Beatty just once a month.

Sales tax question headed to the ballot

Road conditions in the Pahrump Valley are a sore point for many drivers as well as a source of frustration for the crews dedicated to maintaining them but with only so many road dollars to go around, it can be hard to keep pace with the demand.

How historical storytelling is highlighting Tonopah attractions

Preserving history for generations to come while simultaneously boosting tourism – that’s the goal of Tonopah Main Street: Historical Storytelling, a project that’s using the digital age to promote all of the fascinating facts about the bygone days of Tonopah.

Bake sale rakes in $2k for splash pad shade

Pahrump Mother’s Corner is on a mission to see the town of Pahrump build a community splash pad but this group of local parents is doing more than just advocating for the project – they are actively raising money to assist with paying for what they all feel will be a crucial addition to it, a shade structure.

The Veterans Extravaganza – an information hub for former military

The 7th Annual Cles Saunders Memorial Veterans’ Extravaganza took place last week, giving former military service members a chance to learn all about the various resources the area has to offer.

Want to be the county clerk? Applications due March 13

Nye County Clerk Mark Kampf announced his pending resignation last week and the Nye County Commission must now select someone to assume the soon-to-be-vacated office.

Older resident dies in fire

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services, along with the Nevada State Fire Marshal’s office are investigating the exact cause of a structure fire that claimed the life of a man early Wednesday morning.

How has the town fared with Fall Festival? Here’s an overview

When the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce made the decision to divest itself of the Pahrump Fall Festival, the town of Pahrump stepped in to reassume the popular community event.